Flint water crisis prompts call for more federal oversight

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

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.

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 of some programs to the states.

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

But the internal watchdog said the agency’s proposal for stepping up oversight falls short.

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, a potent neurotoxin. Children are particularly vulnerable, and the EPA says there is no safe level of lead.

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.