The Environmental Protection Agency’s chief official overseeing the agency’s response in Flint, Mich., resigned Thursday in the wake of a major scandal over the town’s drinking water being contaminated by lead.
“EPA Region 5 Administrator Susan Hedman has offered her resignation effective Feb. 1, and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy has accepted given Susan’s strong interest in ensuring that EPA Region 5’s focus remains solely on the restoration of Flint’s drinking water,” EPA headquarters in Washington said Thursday.
The crisis in Flint occurred under the watch of the state’s Gov. Rick Snyder.
In April 2014, Flint switched its water source from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, which draws water from Lake Huron, to a local agency that also would take water from the lake.
However, the infrastructure needed to get water from Lake Huron to Flint under the new agency was not yet built, so an emergency manager appointed by Snyder decided to take water from the Flint River as a temporary measure.
The water from the Flint River is so polluted and acidic that the water ate away at the lead pipes bringing water to the city’s homes.
The resignation comes a day after Snyder released 250 emails meant to disclose his decision-making process, as he faces increased public scrutiny over what has now been deemed a scandal.
