Correspondence between

Thanks, Mike. Reporter aiso wanted to know if there was @ way to link this siory to Flint ~ any chance the river water there may be more corrosive because of a sail issue. JEFF heads up.

Today | was interviewed by Rebecca Thiele of public radio WKAR-Kalamazoo. The interview was prompted by the findings of Western Michigan University, Carla Koretsky, regarding the impact of road salt on a small deep kettle lake within the City of Kalamazoo. We are funding a CMI monitoring grant for Dr. Koretsky to conduct additional assessment of several urban lakes and the associated watersheds. | provided the reporter with the 2 attached reports and the link for a another report prepared by the USGS These reports all have sections devoted to chlorides and correlate high chloride concentrations in lakes and streams with urban land use. Questions-roughly & answers- briefly-no particular order 1. From the 2007 NLA report, Mi lakes have higher conductivities and chloride concentrations than lakes nationally and within the upper Midwest ecoregion. Why? Speculated that compared to the rest of nation, particularly compared to the southern states, we have more sources including road salt. Compared to other states in the upper Midwest ecoregion we have more lakes in urbanized watersheds. 2. Will monitoring be conducted at other Kettle Lakes with urbanized watersheds to document the extent of the problem? Acknowledged that elevated chloride levels have been documented in urbanized areas of Michigan and concentrations in Woods Lake in Kalamazoo are problematic which is why we are funding additional work to document the extent of the problem and sources. We will routinely continue to monitor Michigan’s resources for chlorides but the site specific nature of the problem precludes specific sampling for the issue. We do not have a Water Quality Standard for chloride but we have not identified toxicity issues where elevated concentrations have been found. 3. Will construction of roadside retention ditches solve the problem? Explained that best management practices for the typical NPS pollutants our agency addresses may not be appropriate for salt. | made sure the reporter had a contact in MDOT. Air date for the story is unknown. Mike Walterhouse, Environmental Quality Specialist Lake Michigan Unit Surface Water Assessment Section Water Resources Division, MDEQ 517-284-5548 xxxEND_PAGE:executiveofficeemails21_b0311_0647_0648_2

Importance: High Ignore the Freeman Tab. That will be replaced with the final version that Heather put together. George George L. Krisztian Flint Action Plan Coordinator Laboratory Director Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Desk ph (517) 284-6719 Cell ph (517) 420-5897 xxxEND_PAGE:deq02_b031_2087_2087_1

Results.xlsx Here are the final versions of the report and results. Heather Feuerstein Management Assistant to Maggie Pallone, Deputy Director and Brad Wurfel, Communications Director Department of Environmental Quality 517.284.6715 xxxEND_PAGE:deq15_b641_2253_2253_1

Date: Friday, November 06, 2015 3:05:48 PM | do not have any of these records

10 Day Ext. Issued Date: Thursday, November 05, 2015 4:11:58 PM After further review of this request with Liane Shekter Smith, the records pertaining to this FOIA are not with the Director or me. They are with the ODWMA. Therefore, to the best of my technical knowledge, | do not have any records to produce. Thanks. Mary Beth Mary Beth Thelen Management Assistant to Director Dan Wyant Department of Environmental Quality Constitution Hall, 6th Floor South Phone: 517-284-6712 or 284-6700 (new numbers) Fax: 517-241-7401 [email protected]

10 Day Ext. Issued Date: Thursday, November 05, 2015 2:41:38 PM | don’t fully understand what they are asking for. Most will be in the Lansing district or Office of Drinking Water. However, with that said, | probably have documents in my file and will provide them with what | provide to the other FOIAs. Please mark it as at least 4 hours of review and search time. Thanks. Mary Beth Mary Beth Thelen Management Assistant to Director Dan Wyant Department of Environmental Quality Constitution Hall, 6th Floor South Phone: 517-284-6712 or 284-6700 (new numbers) Fax: 517-241-7401 [email protected]

Day Ext. Issued Importance: High | didn’t receive your response to this FOIA request and need it ASAP so | can do a cost estimate. Thanks!

By Mendes Nevenber 16 please let me know whether or not you have responsive records for the attached FOIA request regarding sampling lead in Flint’s drinking water. If you do have records, I'll need an estimate of the number of pages and how much time you spent searching for the records. For your convenience, following are the links listed in this FOIA request: hitoAwww miive com/inews/ifintindex ssiZ01S/iGAhreae flint schools water exce. htm hilos /Avww facebook conm/ohoto. php ?ibid= 107 53084889 13595 Thanks!

By Puesday Oclober 20) please let me know whether or not you have responsive records for the attached FOIA request regarding e-mails about water service for the city of Flint. If you do have records, I'll need an estimate of the number of pages and how much time you spent searching for the records. Thanks!

Kildee Response re Flint Water.docx FYI xxxEND_PAGE:deq20_b02_058_173_001 STATE OF MICHIGAN = DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY DESs. LANSING RICK SNYDER DAN WYANT GOVERNOR DIRECTOR September 16, 2015 VIA E-MAIL The Honorable Daniel Kildee United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congressman Kildee: Thank you for your September 9, 2015, letter regarding your concerns for the drinking water in the city of Flint (Flint). The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) is working closely with Flint’s water department as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to ensure Flint residents have ample water that meets state and federal drinking water standards. The MDEQ’s role is to administer its nearly 40-year-old state drinking water protection program based on federal guidelines. The MDEQ works with approximately 11,500 public water systems in the state to monitor for more than 90 primary drinking water contaminants and ensure that every supply consistently provides safe drinking water. In Flint, the city made a decision 18 months ago to switch drinking water sources. This change required them to take specific measures under the federal Lead and Copper Rule, which was enacted in 1991 to monitor water as it interacts with lead service connections and home plumbing. Flint’s test results were conducted according to the same testing protocols every Michigan community uses and the same protocols Flint has used to test its water every three years for the past 25 years. While the results from Flint’s testing show compliance with the federal action level for lead and copper, on August 17, 2015, the MDEQ instructed the city to move forward expeditiously with developing additional corrosion control treatment to minimize the corrosive effects between drinking water and lead service connections and home plumbing in the Flint service area. We appreciate and share your concern for the situation, and the MDEQ looks forward to providing you a detailed briefing next week. If you have any additional questions in the meantime, please contact Ms. Maggie Pallone, Deputy Director, Policy and Legislative Affairs, at 517-284-6704 or [email protected]; or you may contact me. Sincerely, Da WW Dan Wyant Director CONSTITUTION HALL «525 WEST ALLEGAN STREET * P.O. BOX 30473 « LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909-7973 www. michigan.gov/deq + (800) 662-9278 xxxEND_PAGE:deq20_b02_058_173_002 The Honorable Daniel Kildee Page 2 September 16, 2015 cc: 517-284-6700 Senator Jim Ananich Representative Sheldon Neeley Representative Phil Phelps Mayor Dayne Walling, City of Flint Mr. Howard Croft, City of Flint Dr. Susan Hedman, Regional Administrator, USEPA, Region 5 Mr. Thomas Poy, USEPA, Region 5 Ms. Denise Fortin, USEPA, Region 5 Mr. Michael Schock, USEPA Mr. Darren Lytle, USEPA Mr. Marc Edwards, Virginia Tech Mr. Harvey Hollins, Governor’s Southeast Michigan Office Mr. Bill McBride, Governor's Washington Office Mr. Eric Brown, Governor’s Washington Office Mr. Jim Sygo, Chief Deputy Director, MDEQ Ms. Madhu R. Anderson, Deputy Director, MDEQ Ms. Maggie Pallone, Deputy Director, MDEQ Ms. Sarah M. Howes, Legislative Liaison, MDEQ Mr. Brad Wurfel, Communications Director, MDEQ Ms. Liane Shekter Smith, MDEQ Mr. Stephen Busch, MDEQ Mr. Pat Cook, MDEQ xxxEND_PAGE:deq20_b02_058_173_003

This is ihe statement that the Virginia Tech researcher is looking for. We can, | believe, decline his FOIA because he’s asking quite specifically for documents regarding sernething I never said, based on his recollection of something a reporter from the Flint Journal read to hirn over the phorie. ido not see where | have the actual testing that Community Health briefed us on. H's a sloppy request. We can deny it, or we can just give him this. Took me % of an hour to produce it, by the way. You call it. Thanks. b

For discussion. Heather Feuerstein Management Assistant to Maggie Pallone, Deputy Director and Brad Wurfel, Communications Director Department of Environmental Quality 517.284.6715 xxxEND_PAGE:deq24_b655_1694_1694_1

4239 001.pdf For discussion. Heather Feuerstein Management Assistant to Maggie Pallone, Deputy Director and Brad Wurfel, Communications Director Department of Environmental Quality 517.284.6715 xxxEND_PAGE:deq03_b095_0112_0112_1

Phone interview with Mr. Randy Conath, TV12 Flint, 8/20/2014, 4:05p. Mr Conath was specifically interested in today’s incident which occurred at the 3 Ave PS. The discharge of raw sewage began at 5:20a and lasted until 2:15p, with an estimated discharge of 3.75 MG. He was reporting from the site so he actually just wanted me to verify a few of the details which he already knew. | did say that residents would normally want to avoid bodily contact with the river, but that the county Health Department makes that determination. He was aware also that this incident occurred downstream of the Flint drinking water plant intake and that the integrity of that system was not affected by this incident. Charles Bennett, PE DEQ Water Resources Division Lansing District Office [email protected] ph 517-284-6659; fax 517-241-3571

Ron Fonger for the Flint Journal inquired about an SSO event in Flint (8/11&12/2014). Flint just sent us the final report listing discharge volume at 12.3 MG, a significantly large event that occurred due to heavy rainfall. Apparently treatment and storage capacity is being discussed again at city council meetings. Mr. Fonger wanted to know what the consequences of this discharge are for Flint. Is it permitted, etc? The discharge is not permitted and xxxEND_PAGE:deq03_b605_3253_3717_382 corrections are addressed in the NPDES permit, although much more work needs to be done to improve their collection system. | shared with Mr. Fonger that we also received a report this morning that Flint is experiencing a power outage at the Third Ave Pump Station (Flint’s primary pump station) and discharging sewage to the river at this time. The power failure appears to be the result of local problems (accident or fire?) with the Consumers Energy electrical distribution system. | have spoken with the Flint WWTP Superintendent and directed him to contact me as soon as he learns that power has been restored. chuck Charles Bennett, PE DEQ Water Resources Division Lansing District Office [email protected] ph 517-284-6659; fax 517-241-3571 xxxEND_PAGE:deq03_b605_3253_3717_383 Rennaker, Joanne (DEQ)