Michigan city on edge as lead water crisis persists

By MICHAEL PHILLIS
Associated Press

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The water system in Benton Harbor, Michigan, has tested for elevated levels of lead for three consecutive years. In response, residents have been told to drink and cook with bottled water and the state has promised to spend millions of dollars replacing lead service lines. Residents of the majority Black, largely low-income community question what it means for their families’ health. Waiting for free bottled water is time consuming and some wonder why, in a state that recently dealt with the Flint water crisis, the problem wasn’t fixed sooner.