Flint crisis prompts call for more EPA oversight

WASHINGTON — A federal watchdog is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen its oversight of state drinkingwater systems nationally and respond more quickly to public health emergencies such as the lead-in-the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

In a 74-page report released Thursday, the EPA’s inspector general report pointed to “oversight lapses” at the federal, state and local levels in the response to Flint’s contaminated drinking water.

“While oversight authority is vital, its absence can contribute to a catastrophic situation,” the inspector general, Arthur Elkin, said in a statement. His office has concluded the EPA was too slow and passive in responding to the Flint crisis.

The finding comes as the Trump administration seeks to cut the EPA’s budget, including some drinking-water programs. The administration also has called for reining back federal environmental regulation overall and transferring more oversight authority to states.

The EPA said in a statement it agrees with the inspector general’s findings and is adopting them “expeditiously.”

“The agency is actively engaging with states to improve communications and compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act to safeguard human health,” the statement said.

Flint’s tap water became contaminated in 2014 after officials switched from the Detroit system to the Flint River to save money, exposing many residents to lead. The EPA says there is no safe level of lead.

In emails later released through public-records requests, Miguel Del Toral, a water regulations official in EPA’s Chicago office, voiced frustration over EPA’s slow pace and described the agency as a “cesspool.”

State officials finally acknowledged the lead contamination in September 2015 after doctors reported high levels of lead in Flint children’s blood and Virginia Tech researchers said their testing of Flint water samples found some with lead levels meeting EPA’s definition of “toxic waste.”

The Michigan attorney general’s office has filed criminal charges against 15 state and local officials in the Flint matter, which also has spawned numerous lawsuits.