INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Gov. Rick Snyder Vows To Drink Flint Water For 30 Days

By Jayce Wagner
Published on: 14:49 PST, Apr 18, 2016

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced today that he plans to drink Flint water for 30 days to prove it is now safe to drink — as long as it’s filtered. Snyder has faced blistering criticism in the past few months over his handling of the Flint water crisis, but after the mass-contamination scandal which saw over one hundred thousand Flint, Michigan, residents exposed to dangerous levels of lead, Rick Snyder now claims the water in Flint is safe to drink if it’s filtered properly.

“I’m going to start drinking that tonight and do it for the next 30 days,” Gov. Rick Snyder told the Detroit Free Press, discussing plans to drink water taken from a Flint resident’s home.

Using a faucet filter, reports Talking Points Memo, Gov. Rick Snyder will begin his 30 day Flint-water challenge on Monday, and continue to drink the water despite widespread concerns throughout Michigan that the water in Flint, Michigan, continues to contain dangerous levels of lead.

Snyder’s plan to drink water from Flint, Michigan, to prove it’s safe is already being met with serious criticism from activists who claim the water is still unsafe – otherwise Snyder could simply drink it straight from the tap.

For over a year, Flint residents were allegedly exposed to dangerous levels of lead after Flint officials – appointed by the Michigan Governor’s office – determined that the city could save money by making use of water from the Flint River. After switching over the city’s entire water supply to the Flint River, the corrosive river water reportedly stripped lead out of Flint’s aging municipal infrastructure, delivering contaminated water into the homes of over one hundred thousand Flint residents.

Gov. Rick Snyder has been the subject of an ongoing investigation as state and federal authorities continue to try and determine when city and state officials found out about the lead contamination in the Flint water supply. But, according to the Michigan Chronicle, Rick Snyder’s plan to drink Flint water for 30 days may just be a step in the right direction for the embattled governor.

“After so many tone-deaf missteps, I have to say this move right here is not half bad. Seems to show the man is at least starting to get his money out of those high-priced PR firms he hired,” writes Keith Owens for the Michigan Chronicle.

Governor Snyder has stated that he hopes his 30 day Flint water challenge will bring attention to the fact that the water in Flint is safe to drink as long as it’s filtered properly; naturally, the Flint water supply still has a long way to go before the city’s drinking water is safe to consume and use without being filtered, but many of Flint residents are still fearful of using the water, even if it has been properly filtered.

“I completely understand why some Flint residents are hesitant to drink the water and I am hopeful I can alleviate some of the skepticism and mistrust by putting words to action. Flint residents made it clear that they would like to see me personally drink the water so today I am fulfilling that request, and I will continue drinking Flint water at work and at home for at least 30 days,” said Governor Rick Snyder, speaking with the Detroit Free Press.

Still, Governor Rick Snyder’s Flint water challenge has some Flint residents shaking their heads.

“His whole family has to drink it, the y have to cook with it and bathe with it,” said Elizabeth Taylor a 73-year-old Flint resident.

Taylor and other citizens have expressed skepticism over whether or not Governor Snyder’s plan is the result of a genuine desire to help, or if it’s a PR stunt aimed at salvaging the Governor’s reputation, reports the Detroit Free Press.

[Photo by AP Photo/Andrew Harnik]

Share this article: Gov. Rick Snyder Vows To Drink Flint Water For 30 Days
More from Inquisitr