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Auto workers donating drinking water to Flint residents

Posted at 4:07 PM, Jan 09, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-09 16:07:31-05

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Members of the United Auto Workers union are donating drinking water to Flint residents affected by the city’s water crisis.

TheFlint Journal reports Saturday that bottled water will be brought to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan in a caravan of trucks.

An emergency has been declared in Flint where water drawn from the Flint River leached lead from old plumbing for months.

Flint switched its drinking water from the Detroit system to the Flint River in April 2014 to save money. But the city returned to Detroit water in October after testing detected increased lead levels in residential water supplies and in children’s blood.

Lead can cause permanent brain damage, leading to behavior problems and learning disabilities.

Gov. Rick Snyder has pledged additional state assistance for Flint.