Michigan
city Benton Harbor has declared an emergency because of elevated levels of lead
in its tap water, empowering Mayor Marcus Muhammad to lead the city’s response.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer also visited Benton Harbor on Tuesday to
listen to residents who have been urged to use bottled water.

Whitmer’s visit
wasn’t publicly disclosed until it was over and came hours after city commissioners
unanimously declared the emergency.

“We’ve
heard the cry of the people.  Anything the
mayor needs from this commission, we’re going to work with him tooth and
nail,” Commissioner Duane Seats said, according to the Associated Press.

When asked
if he was disappointed that Whitmer hadn’t acted sooner, the mayor said, “My
Bible says that money solveth all things. This is a $30 million job, and the
money was not there three years ago.”

He also
pointed out that nobody wins in a “blame game.”

“She
can’t act alone. This is a democracy. I am just happy today to stand here and
say we do have money, we are moving forward,” Muhammad said.

“We
will not rest until every parent feels confident to give their kid a glass of
water knowing that it is safe,” Whitmer said in a written statement.

Benton
Harbor, a predominantly Black, mostly low-income community of 9,700, is in
southwestern Michigan, 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Chicago.

Lead levels
in water have exceeded the federal threshold. Unlike Flint, where
state-appointed managers switched the water source and then didn’t properly
treat it, the situation in Benton Harbor is different in some ways.

Benton
Harbor, like many communities, gets water from Lake Michigan, but the system
moves water through old lead pipes. Some experts believe a drop in water volume
due to fewer customers has also contributed to the contamination.

Lead is
considered harmful at any level, and children are particularly vulnerable
because it can slow growth and result in behavioral problems.

The state
is providing free water to residents for cooking and drinking.

The cost to
replace about 6,000 lead service lines is estimated at $30 million. Nearly $19
million in state and federal money has been set aside, and Whitmer hopes the
Republican-controlled Legislature will agree to use more federal money to reach
the goal.

(With AP
inputs)