The congressman of the Michigan city in the midst of a lead water crisis found the problem followed him to Washington, D.C. Tuesday when the water was shut down to his office building due to high lead levels.
A letter obtained by the Washington Examiner states the Cannon Office Building on Capitol Hill, home to the offices of Flint, Mich. congressman, Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee, has had its water tainted by high lead levels that exceed the Environmental Protection Agency’s danger level of 15 parts per million. William Weidemeyer, the superintendent of House office buildings, made the announcement in a letter to members and staff Tuesday evening.
The water in the building, which has roughly 100 office suites and 23 committee rooms, has been turned off while an investigation takes place.
“This week, the AOC received results within the Cannon House Office Building that indicate lead levels in drinking water sources are slightly above the EPA standard,” Weidemeyer wrote. “Although the cause of the increase remains under investigation, in an abundance of caution all drinking water sources and office-provided water filtration units in the building will be turned off beginning at 10 p.m. Tuesday, June 28, 2016.”
Bottled water will be supplied for lawmakers and staff in the building while the water is shut off.
Congress has yet to pass any funding for the beleaguered eastern Michigan city of 100,000 that has been wrapped up in a lead water crisis for more than two years. Several bills have been proposed to send funding to Flint and other cities like it dealing with water issues, but nothing has made it through Congress to President Obama’s desk.
Flint switched its water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure at the behest, and approval, of state officials in April 2014. Since then, the more corrosive Flint River water ate away at lead pipes leading from city water mains to people’s homes, causing lead to leach into their drinking water.
A state investigation found the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality was ultimately responsible for the crisis. Two agency employees have been criminally charged in the case.
The EPA announced last week that the water is now safe to drink if it is filtered.
