The EPA Office of Inspector General said staff monitoring the state’s response to lead levels and compliance in Benton Harbor failed to “elevate” the issue of health risks to the city’s residents, per an EPA policy that encourages staff to do so.
The issues met several EPA elevation policy criteria, including the appearance of a substantial threat to public health and that normal enforcement and compliance tools seemed unlikely to succeed in the short term, the report said.In October 2018, the state notified the Benton Harbor water system it had exceeded 15 parts per billion in water samples — the federal threshold for taking action.Those levels stayed high.
The EPA’s 2016 Policy on Elevation of Critical Public Health Issues followed the lead-contaminated water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Flint, which was under state-appointed managers, used the Flint River for water in 2014 and 2015, but the water wasn’t treated the same as water previously supplied by a Detroit-area provider. As a result, lead leached throughout the pipe system.
Benton Harbor is about 100 miles northeast of Chicago. Federal auditors announced an investigation in February 2022 into how the government dealt with lead contamination of Benton Harbor drinking water. The probe followed a petition for federal help from groups that accused local and state governments of dragging their feet.Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon.
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