LANSING – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Administrator Susan Hedman announced Tuesday that the agency would conduct an audit of the Department of Environmental Quality drinking water program in response to the Flint drinking water crisis.
The region will examine the department’s implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act and related rules on lead and copper, total coliform, nitrates and ground water, it said in a statement issued Tuesday.
“EPA is conducting this audit to ensure that MDEQ maintains reliable drinking water supplies that meet all of the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act,” Hedman said. “This comprehensive audit will provide Flint residents and the people of Michigan with more information about DEQ oversight of public water supplies and will identify actions that may be needed to strengthen the Michigan drinking water program.”
During the audit, EPA Region 5 staff expects to go to DEQ offices to review state files on public water system compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. It will also review department oversight of public water systems.
The audit will consist of “a full programmatic review that supplements the reviews of the Michigan drinking water program that EPA conducts each year,” the statement indicated.
The EPA expects the on-site audit to take several months, but as soon as it is complete, the agency will prepare a report to be made available to the public, it said.
Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich (D-Flint) welcomed the announcement but said the audit should be in addition to legislative hearings he has called for on the Flint water crisis.
“This EPA review is an important part of the comprehensive examination that is necessary to get to the bottom of how this crisis occurred,” he said. “Considering the Center for (Pubic) Integrity’s report just yesterday that Michigan ranks dead last for executive branch accountability, an aggressive, thorough series of Senate oversight hearings remains a crucial part of getting all the facts.”
And U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint) also welcomed the news with caution.
“While this meeting was an important step forward and provided answers to a number of my concerns, it raised additional questions about the actions of MDEQ and other state officials, including the emergency financial manager, and the decisions they made that led to this crisis,” Kildee said, “An audit is a critical next step that will help uncover the facts and ensure that the appropriate people are held accountable.”
DEQ spokesperson Brad Wurfel, in a statement to The Flint Journal, said the agency welcomes the EPA audit and the department has pledged its full cooperation.
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