Correspondence between

Thanks for sending these over. | appreciate it, (ll forward to John. Will call you shortly, StH battling doc’s issues.

So we are clear, this was the info | shared to some media Friday. Apologies | didn’t send it to you. | started getting calls within 24 hours of ihe depertrnent responding to this FOIA request. in the interest of full transparency, | shared our full file to make sure inquiring media hac the full set of docurnents. we nave beer slow responding io your request, apcingies (and im the person you should call). As you might imagine, we're getting a growing line of folks subrnitting FOIAS on this issue for various interests. You have been quite fair in your reporting, and ido appreciate 4. Did not mean to loop out the Freep. iwas al home enjoying my Sunday when the News called to signal they intended to report Sunday evening. | carne into the office io make sure we were responsive to their inquiry. Know Pd do the same for you or Jann. On that ... got 8 weird email frorn Wisely late Friday afternoon. I was a Vcard with my own mame and email address on il Eshot him @ note back and asked if he needed something ... no reply. Here's ihe essential responses we shared with the News. The announcement was intended for early this week, but their story pushed us up by @ DE. What has become clear in recent weeks is that staff believed they were handling the situation in accordance with the proper protocol for a water provider using a new source, but the federal Lead and Copper rule has a particular provision for communities over 50,000 people; that the system operator must continue treating with full corrosion control even as they test the water. What the staff did would have been the proper protocol for a community under 50,000 people. None of the DEQ staff in this division had ever worked on a water source switch for a community over 50,000 people — it’s uncommon for our big communities to switch sources. It’s increasingly clear there was confusion here, but it also is increasingly clear that DEQ staff believed they were using the proper federal protocol and they were not. The Governor will soon announce an independent, third party, after-action review to detail what happened and why, and offer steps to make sure Michigan’s drinking water program is on a better course in the future. There is substantial controversy over the lead and copper rule — the EPA has been working for years on ways to update and strengthen it, and Michigan will be an active part of that conversation going forward. The situation in Flint is a snapshot of an issue affecting cities around the state and the nation. More than a dozen states reportedly use the sampling protocol Michigan uses — that’s not a defense of the protocol, but rather an indication that even experts on the issue disagree about the most effective testing methods. What everyone can agree on is that lead is a serious issue. And I think everyone can agree that when the state came to recognize that there could be a health threat in the city, we took appropriate action. We are now engaged in an unprecedented effort to protect kids and families in Flint, develop more knowledge about what has happened and how people were affected, and take steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again — in Michigan, or anywhere else. xxxEND_PAGE:deq15_b266_0981_0982_1 All who brought this issue forward deserve credit for bringing it to us. Our actions reflected inexperience, and our public response to criticism was the wrong tone early in this conversation. But the best we can do with the situation going forward is represented in our present course — the Governor’s plan represents all the suggestions outlined in the draft EPA memo, the Virginia Tech report, and the guidance we’ ve gotten from EPA. We will learn from this. We will make necessary changes to see to it that our program becomes a national leader in protection. xxxEND_PAGE:deq15_b266_0981_0982_2

Veo sll at my desk. Want te call? 313 222 2708

Okay, isn't fi tire for you te go home? Have a nice weekend,

City system. City workers. Sent from my iPhone On Oct 9, 2015, at 5:03 PM, Erb, Robin < arbdefreanr corm> wrote: Wait... yes to the second question? That’s a multiple choice questian... xxxEND_PAGE:deq14_b0683_2132_2135_1 fs ita.) city workers or b.) DEQ workers orc.) EPA workers that test the water at the plant?

Yes, and yes.

] Farvastic! Just to clarify, the “non-detect” at plant is for lead - NOT samething else, correct? And these would be city workers, DEQ workers or EPA workers that test at the plant? Thanks much — as always. Sent: Friday, October 09, 2015 4:34 PM

Sorry to nudge. | realize I'm mast likely not the only reparter pestering right now...

Got request fo our prograrn folks with stat response requested. Loar tell you how meny bottles were sent to residents for the lead end cooper rule testing, how meny Quarterly sarnples were taker at the plant tag (the one they use to test finished water}, but don't know about system testing and dorrt want to miss arrything here

Thanks for ihe reminder, Rabin. On it. Deadline?

Thanks for the reminder, Robin. Ont. Deadline’?

Hey Brad, “ust raking sure you saw this, Can you help me out? i know it’s probably been a hellish couple of weeks, but for what it’s worth — weekend’s almest here... Robin:

You get a call? Sent from my iPhone On Jan 22, 2015, at 10:40 AM, "Erb, Robin" < Thanks for the time just now; it was nice to speak to you again. xxxEND_PAGE:deq17_b406_2010_2011_1 I'd love to connect with Mike as soon as he has a few minutes. I’m also hoping to nail down a timeline for the boil advisories, the dates of the samples that were problematic, when DEQ notified Flint of the exceedance problems, and the dates of meetings that DEQ has had with residents. My direct line is 313-222-2708. My cell i Again, many thanks. (And really, | don’t think you’re crazy to hang out on a slab of ice waiting for fish. Nope, not at all. Weirdo.) Robin Erb Detroit Free Press Medical Writer 160 W. Fort Street Detroit, MI 48226 Metro desk: 313-222-6601 Direct line: 313-222-2708 Follow me on Twitter @Freephealth xxxEND_PAGE:deq17_b406_2010_2011_2