Groups accuse Flint of violating legal settlement over water
Source: Associated Press
David Eggert, Associated Press
Updated 3:22 pm, Thursday, December 28, 2017
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Plaintiffs in a landmark legal settlement related to Flint's lead-tainted water have asked a federal judge to intervene because they say city officials have repeatedly ignored requirements that allow monitoring of whether the court-ordered deal is being followed.
The motion, filed late Wednesday in federal court in Detroit, accuses Flint and its city administrator of a "pattern of nonresponsiveness, delay and noncompliance" with providing status updates and other information. The agreement, which was approved in March, requires the city to dig at 18,000 Flint households and replace their underground water lines if they are made of lead or galvanized steel.
Other requirements include tracking which residents refuse to let their pipes be replaced, making periodic visits to homes to install and maintain faucet filters, and responding to additional information requests. Federal and state governments are covering the bill.
"The city's violations are not merely procedural or formalistic. They frustrate the very purpose of the agreement by impeding plaintiffs' ability to monitor and enforce its other terms," lawyers for the Natural Resources Defense Council and American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan wrote. The other plaintiffs listed in the motion are the group Concerned Pastors for Social Action and Flint resident Melissa Mays.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Groups-accuse-Flint-of-violating-legal-settlement-12459358.php
