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Judge tells Flint, Michigan, to pick long-term water source

Posted at 2:08 PM, Oct 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-18 08:49:32-04

A federal judge has ordered Flint, Michigan, to choose a long-term source of drinking water by next Monday.

Judge David Lawson said Tuesday that the Flint City Council has committed a "breathtaking" failure of leadership in its dealings with the state of Michigan.

Gov. Rick Snyder's administration sued Flint to force the council to approve a 30-year deal with the Great Lakes Water Authority, a regional agency. Mayor Karen Weaver has signed off but that's not enough.

The council has repeatedly said it needs more time to study its options.

Flint has been getting water from Great Lakes Water since the lead disaster of 2015. The state says a long-term deal will keep Flint's water fund solvent and alleviate the need to raise rates.