Michigan Senate approves $30m for Flint water bills

The Michigan Senate has approved $30m for Flint residents in order to help them pay water bills after they were supplied with water contaminated with high levels of lead.

The bill was passed by the Senate unanimously, reported Star-telegram.com.

This comes a day after the state’s Governor Rick Snyder had officially announced the financial assistance plan, which will go for approval to the House next week.

This financial assistance will offer credit for the estimated amount of residential customers’ utility bills for water that has been or will be used for drinking and cooking from 2014 until spring this year.

The government expects the water to be declared safe for consumption by spring this year.

However, residents will be responsible for paying for water used for other purposes, such as to wash clothes.

Commercial establishments also would get a credit, albeit in a smaller percentage.

As per Snyder’s plan, residential consumers would be credited for 65% of the water portion of their bill.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had joined a multi-agency team that is conducting a criminal probe into the lead contamination of drinking water in Flint.

The multi-agency investigative team includes FBI, federal prosecutors of Michigan, the US Postal Inspection Service, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Inspector General and the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division.

In April 2014, the cash-strapped city had switched its source of tap water from Detroit’s system to the Flint River in order to save money.

Following this switch, local residents had complained of several health issues although officials had then been categorically stating that the water was safe for consumption.