Sebring, Flint in spotlight because of water scandals

Unlike the water crisis in Flint, Mich., which was caused by a venal governor, the water emergency in Sebring was the result of government incompetence at best, and malfeasance, at worst.

In both situations, the health, safety and welfare of the people were jeopardized. For that, heads must roll.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, is under fire from Flint city leaders, local and national citizens groups, health-care organizations and the federal government for not acting with greater urgency when it became known that the water was hazardous to residents’ health. The governor’s newly appointed emergency city manager of Flint had decided to stop taking water from Detroit to save money and, instead, used the Flint River as the source.

The U.S. Environment Protection Agency’s regional director has resigned, and there have been calls for the governor to step down.

A federal criminal investigation has also been launched.

In Sebring, the operator of the water treatment plant has been suspended, and two Ohio Environmental Protection Agency officials from the district office are on administrative leave.

The director of the OEPA, Craig Butler, has launched an investigation into the village’s handling of testing for lead, and last week cited Sebring for failing to correctly communicate test results and provide guidance to homeowners. The village was also cited for failing to submit required weekly water chemistry reports.

Like Michigan’s governor, Butler has also been under fire for his agency’s handling of the Sebring water crisis. U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, has called for the director’s resignation.

We do not agree with the congressman’s opinion of Butler because the record will show that he acted with due haste once he was informed of the situation.

That said, we do share Ryan’s concerns about the way the crisis was handled by local, state and federal officials.

The public has every reason to be angry about the delays in notification. It is unfathomable that government agencies more often than not err on the side of caution when it comes to issuing public health alerts.

Need to know

If the water crises in Sebring and Flint have taught us anything, it is that residents have a right to know as quickly as possible if they’re in danger.

Indeed, OEPA Director Butler has sent a letter to members of Ohio’s congressional delegation calling for changes to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act as it relates to lead.

“Our recent efforts to bring the Village of Sebring into compliance with federal rules for lead contamination in water has revealed serious flaws within the federal framework that guides state agencies in protecting the public against exposure to lead,” he wrote.

Under current law, when a public water system exceeds a level of 15 parts per billion of lead, federal rules merely require a notice to the system to change its treatment to minimize water corrosivity. The process often takes at least a year to complete and does not sufficiently drive or demand action steps to inform the public.

Butler is calling for a change in the federal notification time lines. Now, water systems have 30 days to alert homeowners who were tested and 60 days for a system-wide education program.

However, the education program is only mandated if the water system exceeds a 90th percentile statistical calculation. This can give the public a false sense of confidence about lead in the drinking water.

While the situation in Sebring is still being assessed, there appears to be a growing problem in the city of Warren.

Two weeks ago, The Vindicator took the initiative of reviewing water testing results and found that a reading of 64 parts per billion of lead was found in a home in the city last summer.

Actually, two homes on Perkinswood Boulevard Southeast exceeded state limits. But there was no community outcry.

Why? Hardly any residents were informed of the situation.

But the news department’s pursuit of the story has forced city officials to publicly address the wide range of issues that have been uncovered as a result of The Vindicator’s reporting.