Bacteria fears were behind leaving anti-corrosives out of Flint water supply

There is other news tonight besides the New Hampshire primary and this story about the Flint water debacle is significant.

And it may--although I won't bet a dime on it--tone down the conspiratorial histrionics of blabbermouths like Davison, Michigan native Michael Moore.

From the Detroit Free Press:

Flint's former public works director said officials decided to hold off on adding corrosion-control chemicals when treating water from the Flint River because they were worried that doing so would increase the amount of bacteria in the city's drinking water.

The disastrous decision not to add corrosion-control chemicals is cited by experts as the major reason corrosive water from the Flint River was able to eat into pipes, joints and fixtures, sending lead into the drinking water and poisoning an unknown number of Flint children and other residents.

Why corrosion controls were not added has been one of the great mysteries of the crisis that has resulted in state and federal emergency declarations and the use of the Michigan National Guard to help distribute bottled water and filters to take the lead out of tap water.

Howard Croft, who at the time was Flint's public works director, said in a Sept. 3, 2015, e-mail that when officials were upgrading the Flint water plant to treat Flint River water starting in April 2014, "optimization for lead was addressed and discussed with the engineering firm and with the (Michigan) DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality)."

Related post:

Michael Moore says Flint water crisis is intentional