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Dave Murray Press Secretary | Executive Office of Governor Rick Snyder M Twitter:@michigandmurray

It worked! Thank you.

It worked! Thank you.

Hi Jessica, Thank you for your patience and assistance. You can attribute this to me: The letter from the Office of the Auditor General includes some criticisms, but also reflects that state officials were following accepted protocols, or in one case, an interpretation of the corrosion control program that the EPA later clarified. But we need to do better in ensuring Flint residents have safe water and tracking children affected by elevated lead levels. We continue to work with the bipartisan task force that is reviewing all the actions at the state, local and federal level and is expected to offer recommendations in a month or so. Gov. Snyder is committed to working with Flint Mayor Weaver and officials on these issues. xxxEND_PAGE:executiveofficeemails20_b1330_3431_3432_1 Jessica, for your background, here's a helpful summary of answers from the Office of the Auditor General in response to questions mostly posed by Sen. Jim Ananich's office (the auditor added a few questions in the 11-page report). The questions were posed as the OAG conducts an audit of the Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance's handling of the Flint water crisis. Conclusions: * -- While the Flint City Council voted in March 2013 to move to the KWA pipeline, it didn't designate the Flint River as an interim water source. But the Department of Environmental Quality had approved the river as a backup source for emergency purposes in 2006. The treated water met safety standards in quarterly tests by the Flint Water Treatment Plant, but Flint had never tested its effect on the distribution system. * -- In an email review of key DEQ managers to determine if there was an effort to conceal information, only one email exchange raised red flags. The Environmental Protection Agency had asked DEQ in February 2015 if Flint had a corrosion control program; the DEQ responded the city had an optimized program in place. In April the EPA asked again, and the DEQ said that the Flint Water Treatment Plant was not doing corrosion control. DEQ later explained that the first answer was referring to its Lead and Copper Rule program, in which it monitors a new water source (in this case, the Flint river) for lead/copper for two consecutive six-month periods to determine if corrosion treatment is necessary. The report says there's no reason to believe that DEQ willfully misrepresented information to the EPA. It also concludes that Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance employees appeared to have notified management properly about the unfolding Flint water situation. * - DEQ did not consult with the EPA on how best to apply the Lead and Copper Rule monitoring practices after the switch to Flint water, but from past experience, DEQ believed it was doing so correctly by doing two rounds of six-month monitoring on the new water source before determining optimal corrosion control. The EPA disagreed with DEQ's interpretation of the LCR, but later stated that the LCR was open to interpretation. It then clarified the rule: Corrosion controls already in place when Flint was on Detroit water should have been maintained after the switch. xxxEND_PAGE:executiveofficeemails20_b1330_3431_3432_2

Just FYI | did do an on cam with him to but this statement came prior to that. "The Auditor General has provided an important piece of this puzzle and I'm sure the extended report they are working on will reveal additional information,” said Ananich. “What's clear is that corrosion control should have been used and there are serious failings in our system that must be addressed. Between the FOIA emails released recently and these findings, it's obvious that legislative oversight is the best way to see how all of these pieces fit together. | expect holding hearings to be high on the agenda when the Legislature returns.” Thanks! Jessica Dupnack xxxEND_PAGE:executiveofficeemails20_b1290_3321_3321_1

Sounds great! Thanks! Jessica Dupnack

Thanks! That means a lot. We always get he negative feedback (as you know from the "old journal days") so it's nice to see some positive! I've got your number saved for whenever I need to bug ya. Have a good night! Thanks! Jessica Dupnack On Feb 3, 2015, at 9:38 PM, "Murray, David (GOV)" <MurrayB}1@. Snare ED tee Na Jessica, Just wanted to say you did a great job on the Flint water grant story. It’s a complicated issue, and you explained it very well! Always nice to come “home” to Flint — | worked for the Journal for 10 years and my kids were born there. Will always have a soft spot for the city. Let me know if | can ever be of assistance to you. Dave Murray xxxEND_PAGE:executiveofficeemails20_b0691_2076_2076_1