EPA amends Michigan emergency order to include steps for switching drinking water source

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently amended its January 2016 Safe Drinking Water Act emergency order on Flint, Michigan, to clarify the steps the state and city must take before switching to a new drinking water source.
 
The order was issued in January 2016 to the state of Michigan, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the city of Flint. It includes several requirements for those entities to uphold until the city’s drinking water meets the EPA’s requirements. All requirements enumerated in the order are still in effect.
 
Per the amendment to the order, Michigan and Flint must take the following steps before switching the city’s water source: finish construction on the water pipeline taking drinking water from the new source to the treatment plant, demonstrate effective treatment of drinking water from the new source at the treatment plant for at least three months and demonstrate compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, which includes corrosion control treatment and water quality monitoring standards.
 
The plan to switching Flint’s drinking water to a new source, a collaborative effort between the EPA, Michigan and Flint, will be available on Michigan’s website. The state and city will also post monthly updates required by the emergency order on the Michigan website.