Federal judge orders bottled water deliveries to residents in Flint, Michigan
A Michigan federal judge has ordered the delivery of bottled water to residents of Flint, Michigan, where lead leached from pipes into the water after city emergency managers switched the water supply in a money-saving move.
U.S. District Judge David Lawson ordered the water deliveries, unless residents decline the service or their homes are equipped with working water filters, report the New York Times, the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit News and MLive.com.
Water is already offered at distribution centers. Those who couldn’t pick up the water could call for delivery. But Lawson cited evidence that the distribution network is “not completely effective.” Some residents stopped calling a number for assistance because they were frustrated with the response, and some are unaware of the service, Lawson said.
Lawson ordered the state and city to report back by Dec. 16 on how they would comply with the order.
Lawson ruled in a suit filed by a Flint resident and Concerned Pastors for Social Change, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
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