The Michigan House Oversight Committee on Thursday heard from Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy Director Liesl Clark and Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad about the city’s lead problems. Committee Chair Steve Johnson says the problem of lead in the water has existed for some time in Benton Harbor. He says EGLE admitted Thursday the city’s water is unsafe to drink. Johnson says he was surprised to learn local city officials have been trying to solve the problem for years.
“The committee today found out that the mayor of Benton Harbor requested money to fix lead lines back in 2019,” Johnson said. “He requested that to the department, and yet they did not put that in the budget recommendation in 2019 or 2020. This is the first year we’re hearing of this.”
The Berrien County Health Department started distributing lead filters to Benton Harbor residents when the issue was discovered. In recent weeks, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services started telling residents to only drink bottled water. The department has not returned our requests for comment. It will take about $30 million to replace lead lines around the community. The state and the EPA have secured all but $11 million.
