Michigan City Declares Emergency Over Lead; Governor Visits
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she visited Benton Harbor 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 (160 kilometers) from Chicago.
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.
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