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.
Related News
From Archive
- Fatal trench collapse in Mass. leads to $4.6 million OSHA penalty, dozens of violations
- OSHA investigates fatal trench collapse at Conroe construction site
- Final Lake Erie sewer tunnel project set to begin after decades-long $3 billion effort
- Texas811 launches real-time excavation detection to prevent utility strikes
- Fiber drilling strike triggers major sewer failure, lawsuits in Florida
- Fatal trench collapse in Mass. leads to $4.6 million OSHA penalty, dozens of violations
- Texas811 launches real-time excavation detection to prevent utility strikes
- Race Communications breaks ground on Bakersfield fiber network
- Final Lake Erie sewer tunnel project set to begin after decades-long $3 billion effort
- Inside Infrastructure: Utility locators warn of systemic failures in damage prevention process
Comments