Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Michigan

Michigan city declares emergency over lead; Gov. Whitmer visits

State reportedly failed to inform Benton Harbor residents about lead levels for more than 2 years

Associated Press
Published
close
Fox News Flash top headlines for October 20 Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for October 20

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she visited Benton Harbor on Tuesday to listen to residents who have been urged to use bottled water because of elevated levels of lead in their tap water.

Whitmer’s stop, which wasn’t publicly disclosed until it was over, came hours after city commissioners unanimously declared an emergency and empowered Mayor Marcus Muhammad to lead Benton Harbor’s response.

"We’ve heard the cry of the people. Anything the mayor needs from this commission, we’re going to work with him tooth and nail," Commissioner Duane Seats said.

Benton Harbor, a predominantly Black, mostly low-income community of 9,700, is in southwestern Michigan, 100 miles Chicago.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, second from right, visits Benton Harbor, Michigan, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021, to listen to residents who have been urged to use bottled water because of elevated levels of lead in their tap water. (Michigan Office of the Governor via AP

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, second from right, visits Benton Harbor, Michigan, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021, to listen to residents who have been urged to use bottled water because of elevated levels of lead in their tap water. (Michigan Office of the Governor via AP (Michigan Office of the Governor via AP)

WHITMER'S CAMPAGIN MAY HAVE TO RETURN OR DONATE MILLIONS FROM EXCESS CONTRIBUTIONS, REPORT SAYS

Lead levels in water have exceeded the federal threshold. Unlike Flint, where state-appointed managers switched the water source and then didn’t properly treat it, the situation in Benton Harbor is different in some ways.

Benton Harbor, like many communities, gets water from Lake Michigan, but the system moves water through old lead pipes. Some experts believe a drop in water volume due to fewer customers has also contributed to contamination.

Lead is considered harmful at any level, and children are particularly vulnerable because it can slow growth and result in behavioral problems.

The state is providing free water to residents for cooking and drinking.

"We will not rest until every parent feels confident to give their kid a glass of water knowing that it is safe," Whitmer said in a written statement.

WHITMER VETOES ELECTION BILLS MICHIGAN GOP SAYS WILL RESTORE FAITH IN ELECTIONS

The cost to replace about 6,000 lead service lines is estimated at $30 million. Nearly $19 million in state and federal money has been set aside, and Whitmer hopes the Republican-controlled Legislature will agree to use more federal money to reach the goal.

The mayor was asked at a news conference if he was disappointed that Whitmer hadn’t acted sooner.

"My Bible says that money solveth all things," Muhammad said. "This is a $30 million job, and the money was not there three years ago."

He said nobody wins in a "blame game."

"She can’t act alone," Muhammad said. "This is a democracy. I’m just happy today to stand here and say we do have money, we are moving forward."

Dwayne Yarbrough directs traffic as volunteers distribute cases of bottled water to residents at God's Household of Faith, Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday ordered a "whole-of-government" response to elevated levels of lead in tap water in the southwestern Michigan city of Benton Harbor and vowed to accelerate the replacement of its lead pipes. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP)

Dwayne Yarbrough directs traffic as volunteers distribute cases of bottled water to residents at God's Household of Faith, Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday ordered a "whole-of-government" response to elevated levels of lead in tap water in the southwestern Michigan city of Benton Harbor and vowed to accelerate the replacement of its lead pipes. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP) (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Separately, the state Senate Oversight Committee asked the state’s environmental agency for documents related to Benton Harbor, including email and correspondence dating to 2019, when Whitmer, a Democrat, took office.

State Sen. Ed McBroom, the Republican committee chairman, cited a recent Detroit News report that said the state failed to tell residents that their water was unsafe for more than two years while trying treatments to reduce lead levels.

The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy will explain "how Benton Harbor officials and residents were informed of drinking water lead" levels, spokesman Hugh McDiarmid Jr. said.