Wednesday Morning: Wicked Weary World

Let’s have a brunch-time salute to Belgium, which produced this fine young artist Loic Nottet. Too bad there’s not much well-produced content in YouTube yet by this youngster. He has incredible upper range reach with great potential because of the power behind his voice. Hope to hear more by him soon; he’s a sweet antidote to bitter wickedness.

All in the family
Hope you’ve read Marcy’s piece already this morning on the relevance of nuclear family units to terrorism. In addition to suicide bombers El Bakraoui brothers Marcy mentioned, it’s worth examining the other links between the November 13 attacks in Paris and the attacks in Belgium yesterday. Note the familial relationships and their first-degree network:

Brahim Abdelslam — older brother of Salah, blew himself up in Paris during the November 15 attacks. (Dead)
Salah Abdelslam — captured last Friday March 18, has admitted he ‘had planned to target Brussels.’ His location was flagged by an unusual number of pizzas delivered to an apartment where power and water had been shut off. (In custody)

Abaid Aberkan — characterized as a relation of the Abdelslams, carried Brahim’s casket at the funeral last week. (NOT a terror suspect Edit: Le Monde indicates Aberkan was arrested during Friday’s raid, but name spelled ‘Abid.’) (In custody)
Aberkan’s mother — renter/owner of Molenbeek apartment in which Salah was hiding when captured last week. (NOT a terror suspect)

Mohamed Belkaid — killed in a raid last Tuesday at an apartment in Forest district; Salah fled the apartment. (Dead)

Mohamed Abrini — A childhood friend and neighbor of Salah, his younger brother Suleymane died fighting in an Islamist militia under the direction of Abdelhamid Abaaoud. Abaaoud, the leader of the Paris attacks, died on November 18 during a police raid. Abrini had traveled with both of the Abdelslam brothers the week before the attacks in Paris. He is now on the run and sought in relation to yesterday’s attack. (Suspect)

Najim Laachraoui — traveled with Salah and Belkaid last September, under the name Soufiane Kayal. His DNA was found in three different locations: on explosives in Paris, and at two other hide-outs used by attackers. He is now sought in relation to yesterday’s attack. (Suspect)

Though we’ll hear arguments for increased internet surveillance, it’s easy to see that traditional police work could identify a terrorist network of family and friends in the same way members of an organized crime syndicate centered around a family are revealed. (Sources for the above: The Guardian and The Australian)

Other stuff going on…

  • ‘Flash Crash’ trader to be extradited to the U.S., rule British judges (France24)
  • Sextortionist Michael Ford, who ran a criminal enterprise from his work computer while employed at U.S. embassy, sentenced to four years and nine months in prison (Ars Technica) — BoingBoing notes the hypocrisy of a government demanding backdoors while failing to note such a massive misuse of its own network.
  • Another hospital held hostage by ransomware, this time in Kentucky (Krebs on Security) — STOP OPENING LINKS IN EMAIL at work, for starters. Isolating email systems from all other networked operations would be better.
  • 24 car models by 19 automakers vulnerable to keyless entry hack (WIRED–mind the ad-block hate) — Mostly foreign models affected due to the radio frequency used.

Better luck tomorrow, gang. See you in the morning.

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42 replies
  1. bloopie2 says:

    The Volkswagen Golf GTD cited in the list of hackable cars, is a diesel model. So, it’s still really a target of thieves, after all the VW-diesel news recently?
    .
    Also, the article doesn’t provide an explanation of how they start the car (as opposed to unlocking the doors). It says “The ADAC researchers say that 24 different vehicles from 19 different manufacturers were all vulnerable, allowing them to not only reliably unlock the target vehicles but also immediately drive them away.” Don’t you still need a physical key to insert into and turn the ignition switch? Or is this hack only good on those “no key start” cars? In any event, good to know, thanks.

  2. bloopie2 says:

    I fear you’ve got this “sextortionist” thing backwards (“the hypocrisy of a government demanding backdoors while failing to note such a massive misuse of its own network”). You see, the government has already provided backdoors into its own networks, and just wants its citizens to follow along. Got it? Easy as pie!

  3. scribe says:

    Re: pushbutton car starters and keyless fobs.
    .
    Did you know the fob does not have to be in the car to use it? Of course you did. That’s how you can open the locks while crossing the parking lot, among other things.
    .
    Well, it works even better than that.
    .
    A few weeks back, I ran into an acquaintance who was frantically looking for someone, anyone, to help with a big, big problem. Seems that he and a friend had gone to the gathering where we met by happenstance in the friend’s new car with keyless fob and pushbutton start. It was about 80 miles from his home and even further from the friend’s. Turned out they had left the fob on the kitchen table, thinking it was in the friend’s jacket pocket. Even though the fob was inside a building and a good 50 or more feet from the car, it was close enough to start the car.
    .
    All well and good, right?
    .
    Well, not when you get to the event 80 miles away, push the start/stop button to turn off the engine, get out and reach for the fob to lock the doors, only to find … no fob.
    .
    And then realize: “Oh, shit. It’s at home. 80 miles from here. And it’s snowing. And the engine’s off and … I can’t start it without the fob.”
    .
    Good thing one of them had AAA for the economical tow home. But, while a back door into the car might have been very, very convenient in that circumstance, it’d be a gaping hole for hackers to have all sorts of fun at your expense.
    .
    I like my old Volvo. It has keys. Real keys. No chips, no fobs.

    • bloopie2 says:

      Great story. Like the couple who drove out somewhere with the fob in the pocket of A, who at their first destination split up, with A taking the fob and B taking the car to the next destination. Where, of course, it would not again start. Gotta love it.
      .
      Robert DeNiro sure could have used a remote start feature in “Casino”.
      .
      And as to the “ransomware attack, it’s my understanding that some of those malware encryption programs are, really uncrackable, even by the famed FBI. If that’s the case, then why can’t we adopt such technology? How do I get hold of some to test it out? Can you email it to me?

  4. harpie says:

    Hi Rayne :-)
    I have soe possible additionsto the TL.
    *
    Existing TL:
    *
    15-APR-2013 — [EMAIL] DWSD offered rate 48% lower than the current rate, saving 20% over 30 years compared to KWA. **Where is documentation of this offer to Flint EM and/or state??
    ***
    New info:
    *
    This e-mail is reproduced in the update, here:
    * http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/archives/2016/01/25/new-emails-reveal-the-switch-to-the-flint-river-was-not-about-saving-money
    ***
    That article [also internal links to others] is a *very good read*, if you haven’t already seen it…it really digs into KWA/EM connection.

    • harpie says:

      Speaking of KWA [from the above linked FREEP article]:
      *
      “[…] Though wide-ranging, the report did not delve deeply into every area the members saw as meriting investigation. For example, it questioned state approval for the new Karegnondi Water Authority pipeline to Lake Huron to serve an economically distressed area “that had ample water supply and treatment capacity.” It said the issue was outside the scope of its work but should be reviewed by another state-level body. […]”

    • wayoutwest says:

      It’s quite ludicrous that some people are basing their analysis on this Hail Mary offer from DWSD of half priced water for thirty years to Flint. First DWSD was functionally bankrupt supplying Flint with water at the full monopoly price but somehow miraculously they will become solvent selling their product at half price and they will be able to sustain this fiscal magic for a generation.

      This offer was deemed as BS and rejected by the EM and others for good reasons but some people who believe in magic will continue to point and shout about their proof of hidden agendas that have nothing to do with Flint River water.

      The new pipeline may supply some water for fracking but fracking in Michigan will continue, as it has since 1952, with or without this new supply which may be cheaper and more convenient than trucking the water longer distances.

      Selling off public utilities is one of the programs of neoliberal austerity that is the agenda of both Parties but I wonder if any corporation or sane group of investors would think they could profit from buying DWSD.

  5. harpie says:

    All of the following information is from this link to Snyder e-mails—mostly from the Timeline near the end:
    http://somcsprod2govm001.usgovcloudapp.net/files/snyder%20emails.pdf
    *
    Existing TL:
    *
    12-JAN-2015 — (confirm date) DWSD offered EM Earley a waiver of a $4 million reconnection fee to switch back to Detroit Water.
    *
    Date Confirmed here: [in the timeline]
    NOTE: Timeline says the offer was DECLINED BY AMBROSE [not Earley] on 1/29/15
    ****
    30-March-2015 DEQ notifies the Flint WTP of the first six-month lead/copper monitoring period.
    24-April-2015 DEQ indicates no corrosion control (orthophosphate) chemical in place (treatment).
    *
    28-May-2015 Sample results from the residence noted with high levels on February 26, 2015 show lead levels look good after a new copper service line installation.
    *
    21-July-2015 EPA and DEQ hold conference call on DEQ’s implementation of the Lead and Copper Rule(LCR) and Flint issues.
    *
    17-August-2015 DEQ notifies Flint WTP of second six-month lead/copper monitoring results.
    *
    23-August-2015 VT researcher [Marc Edwards] notifies DEQ that he will begin a study of the City of Flint water quality.
    *
    2-September-2015 VT researcher claims that the corrosiveness of the Flint water is causing lead to leach into residents’ water.
    *
    13[?] [LOL! I can’t make out the date! uggh]-October-2015 DEQ Director Dan Wyant states: “…staff made a mistake while working with the city of Flint. Simply stated, staff employed a federal [corrosion control] protocol they believed was appropriate, and it was not.”
    *
    3-November-2015 The EPA indicates differing possible interpretations of the LCR with respect to how LCR’s optimal corrosion control treatment procedures apply to the situation (new water source/new water treatment).
    ***

  6. harpie says:

    More on KWA/LAN:
    *
    WATER PROJECT TAPS LAKE HURON; “Civil Engineering”; ASCE; August 4, 2014
    http://www.asce.org/magazine/20150804-water-project-taps-lake-huron/
    *
    “[…] The design solution for this problem was founding the pipe on pilings ranging from 20 to 47 ft in depth. Some of the piles are steel H beams, others are wood, and still others are augured concrete. “There are five distinct pipeline contracts,” notes Samir Matta, P.E., M.ASCE, a senior project manager for Lockwood, Andrews and Newnam, Inc. (LAN). LAN is providing engineering and design services for the water intakes and the 66 in. pipe for the project. “You have different contractors working on the project,” Matta says. “Each one has an independent method of dealing with the issue.” […]”

  7. harpie says:

    Recomendation:

    “R-32. Issue an Executive Order Mandating guidance and training on environmental justice across all state agencies in Michigan, highlighting the Flint Water Crisis as an example of environmental injustice. The state should reinvigorate and update implementation of an Environmental Justice Plan for the State of Michigan.”

    Wow!

  8. harpie says:

    “R-38. Establish a comprehensive Flint public health program, coordinated with county and state-level public health initiatives, that can serve as a model for population health across the state. This program should provide assessments, interventions, and support not only regarding the health effects of water contamination but also more broadly regarding the health effects of chronic economic hardship and other social determinants of poor health.”

  9. harpie says:

    “R-39. Conduct an investigative review of the development and approval of the Karegnondi Water Authority and of the City of Flint’s commitments to KWA water purchases.”
    *
    :-)

  10. harpie says:

    “R-43. Use the occasion of the Flint water crisis to prompt local and state reinvestment in critical water infrastructure, while providing mechanisms to enhance affordability and universal access to water services.”

  11. harpie says:

    “[p.16] [After the April 2014 end of contract] DWSD and the City of Flint, both under emergency management, continued unsuccessfully to negotiate alternative water supply terms. Although the State of Michigan was in control of both cities at the time, efforts to arrive at an agreement between the parties during the final year of service to the City of Flint ultimately failed.”

  12. harpie says:

    “April 29, 2014: Flint EM Darnell Earley notifies Detroit EM that Flint has switched water supply sources to the Flint River. Genesee County Drain Commission remains as a non- contract customer of DWSD.”

  13. harpie says:

    [p.40] “As the city of Flint neared the end of its Emergency Manager status in March 2015, the city still retained an $8 million deficit in the General Fund. To resolve this accumulate deficit, the state and the Flint EM, with the concurrence of Flint’s City Council, signed an emergency loan agreement between the City of Flint and Michigan’s Local Emergency Financial Assistance Loan Board for nearly $8 million. [55] This emergency loan included a provision that the City of Flint could not, without prior state approval, return to DWSD or lower water rates.”
    *
    [55] “Note that the Resolution presented to Flint City Council by the Flint EM [Ambrose], Resolution 150302.1, contained no information regarding the DWSD and water rates conditions contained in the emergency loan.”

    • harpie says:

      The existing TL entry which corresponds to my comment at 9:24pm is the following:
      *
      29-APR-2015 — EM Jerry Ambrose leaves office as the city’s financial emergency is declared over. Oversight of the city council and mayor’s office are now under “Receivership Transition Advisory Board.”

  14. harpie says:

    [p.41]”[…] Our interviews underscored several troubling aspects of the inexorable drive to leave the DWSD system and use the Flint River as an interim supply source for drinking water. Most obviously, the parties simply failed to adequately appreciate (or signal) the complexities involved in treating Flint River Water, or the potential implications of water chemistry changes to the city’s water distribution network. […]”

  15. harpie says:

    [p.43] “It is not clear that Flint’s resident consultant engineers, LAN, had adequate experience with river water treatment, yet the firm was engaged through a sole-source contract.”[59]
    *
    [59] “LAN representatives were not made available for interview. Questions were provided in writing and sent to LAN (and are included in Appendix IV); responses were not received prior to publication of this report.”

  16. harpie says:

    Existing TL:
    *
    4-APR-2014 — [EMAIL] City of Flint’s Laboratory & Water Quality Supervisor Mike Glasgow emailed MDEQ (name/contact TBD): […]
    *
    New info:
    *
    [p.44] We note that Flint WTP supervisory personnel’s expressed concerns regarding readiness to begin full time operations—including appropriate LCR-mandated sampling—and these concerns went unheeded. [60] However, it seems clear that these concerns were voiced in an environment that was unreceptive to reconsideration of the City’s chosen course, mandated by the EM’s. [61]
    *
    [60] April 17, 2014 e-mail from Flint Utilities Department’s Michael Glasgow to Adam Rosenthal, Mike Prysby and Stephen Busch at MDEQ.
    *
    [61] See, for example, “Commentary: MDEQ Mistakes and Deception Created the Flint Water Crisis; [9/30/2015; FlintWaterStudy.org], and February 27, 2015 e-mail from Miguel DelToral/EPA to MDEQ. […]
    **

  17. harpie says:

    [p44]” Flint’s EM, relying on sole-sourced consultant support, held responsibility for ensuring adequate staffing, training, and preparation for conversion Flint’s drinking water source. Those responsibilities were not met.”

  18. harpie says:

    “F-35. EPA tolerated MDEQ’s intransigence and issued, on November 3, 2015, a clarification memo on the LCR when no such clarification was needed.”

  19. harpie says:

    Existing TL:
    *
    27-JAN-2015 — “An internal email from a Health Department supervisor on Jan. 27, 2015, says employees at Flint’s water treatment plant had not responded in months […] GCHD supervisor not named, nor is a copy of the email published.
    *
    New info:
    *
    January 27, 2015: FOIA request sent by GCHD environmental hygienist James Henry to Flint DPW and Flint Mayor for information on water treatment to support the county’s investigation of Legionellosis cases.
    *

  20. harpie says:

    Existing TL:
    *
    XX-FEB-2015 — (Confirm date) Lee Anne Walters forwarded results of lead tests to EPA-Region 5 office.
    *
    New info:
    *
    February 25, 2015: LeeAnn Walters […more new info…] (104ppb)
    *
    [NOTE: Rayne, FEBRUARY 25, 26, 27 e-mail info at this link, https://www.emptywheel.net/2016/03/18/friday-morning-f-for-free-and-favorite/ comment #’s 15-19. I don’t know how that all compares with your TL as it exists now and with the new info from task force. This time period is getting a little too confusing for my scattered brain.]

  21. harpie says:

    Existing TL:
    *
    24-JUN-2015 — A memo written by Miguel Del Toral of EPA was leaked. The memo addresses Lee Anne Walters’ household water tests reporting high lead level
    *
    New info:
    June 24, 2015: Miguel Del Toral (EPA) provides Tom Poy (EPA) his “Interim Report: High Lead Levels in Flint, Michigan,” summarizing information and concerns about lead levels in drinking water in Flint.
    *

  22. harpie says:

    NEW:
    *
    June 25, 2015: Adam Rosenthal/MDEQ e-mails Mike Glasgow and Brent Wright/Flint Utilities Department (copying Mike Prysby and Stephen Busch/MDEQ) reminding them that 61 more lead and copper samples need to be collected and sent to the lab by June 30, 2015, “and that they are will be [sic] below the AL [Action Level] for lead. As of now, with 39 results, Flint’s 90th percentile is over the AL for lead.”
    *

  23. harpie says:

    Existing TL:
    *
    23-JUL-2015 — [EMAIL] Linda Dykema, Michigan Department of Community Health, sent an email with subject: “R.E.Director’s Office Assignment- Flint- need update ASAP”
    *
    [New info: more details about e-mail; also quote that MDT/EPA “acted outside his authority”. (these are MDEQ talking points.)
    *
    [question: who said that last bit in parenthesis?]

  24. Rayne says:

    harpie, you are on a tear! awesome! I’m going to lock down four hours later today to try and edit the timeline. Need to migrate it to a page versus post, too.

    • harpie says:

      *
      January 23, 2013: Mike Prysby/MDEQ e-mails colleague Liane Shekter Smith and others about feasibility of Flint switching to the Flint River, highlighting water quality concerns.
      *
      March 28, 2013: State Treasurer Andy Dillon e-mails Governor Snyder notifying him of his approval of Flint joining Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA) and MDEQ concurrence.
      *
      April 16, 2013: Flint Emergency Manager (EM) Ed Kurtz signs agreement with KWA and informs the State Treasurer that the City will join KWA (Decision officially announced May 1, 2013)
      *
      March 26, 2014: Stephen Busch/MDEQ e-mails Liane Shekter Smith and Richard Benzie/MDEQ on clarifying what Flint will be required to do before beginning full-time Flint WTP operation.
      *

    • harpie says:

      That’s great! :-)
      *
      If I can help at all, let me know…here, I guess. [How do I register here?]

  25. Rayne says:

    wayoutwest (11:01) — No, it’s bullshit to treat DWSD’s offer as invalid when the offer was made a full year before the actual cut-off — AND another source of water located less than 40 miles away was NEVER explored at all. It’s also bullshit to ignore other drivers pushing development of the KWA, hidden behind exclusionary rules to FOIA laws, claims of attorney-client privilege, and so-called proprietary privacy. It’s further bullshit for the USDOJ to have never looked at this situation as economic racism, when a minority-majority community is railroaded into funding a waterline that may not be in its best interests, while paying the highest water+sewer rates in the U.S.

    Further, the DWSD was being used as an instrument to foreclose on properties in Detroit. There’s where the profits were being made. Just follow the breadcrumbs around foreclosures in Michigan: largest single foreclosure law firm -> GOP donor -> McCain’s landlord in 2008 -> voter foreclosure crisis -> seated GOP representative. The view is not always as clear as it seems from outside this state.

  26. harpie says:

    Existing TL:
    *
    14-APR-2014 — [EMAIL] City of Flint’s Laboratory & Water Quality Supervisor Mike Glasgow emailed MDEQ (name/contact TBD): […] This email was not public until released by Gov. Snyder’s office 12-FEB-2015.
    *
    [NOTE: According to TF, this is listed as April 16-17 ???]
    *

  27. harpie says:

    *
    April 29, 2014: Flint EM Darnell Earley notifies Detroit EM that Flint has switched water supply sources to the Flint River. Genesee County Drain Commission remains as a non- contract customer of DWSD.
    *
    July 1, 2014: Flint begins first 6-month monitoring period for lead and copper in drinking water.
    *
    September 10, 2014: MDEQ requests pre-emptive operational evaluation for disinfection byproducts called trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
    *
    October 1, 2014: MDEQ submits briefing paper to Governor’s office re: City of Flint drinking water situation (boil water notices). Genesee County Health Department (GCHD) expresses concern to Flint Public Works regarding increased incidences of cases of Legionellosis since April 2014, and the possible relationship to the use of the Flint River as the water supply. MDHHS epidemiology staff expresses concern, but there is no further state-level evaluation.
    *

  28. harpie says:

    *
    Existing TL:
    *
    13-OCT-2014 — General Motors said it will buy water from Flint Township as chlorine added to Flint City water can cause corrosion in its engines.
    *
    New info:
    […concerns related to the chloride levels in water from the Flint WTP. MDEQ notes chloride in Flint WTP-treated water is within public health guidelines.]
    *

  29. harpie says:

    *
    Existing TL:
    *
    17-OCT-2014 — Government official(s) or employees aware of possible link between Legionnaires Disease cases and the city’s switch to Flint River as water source. […]
    *
    New info:
    *
    [“Valerie Brader, State Deputy Legal Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor, e=mails Governor’s Chief of Staff Dennis Muchmore and other top aides arguing for a return to DWSD because of water quality problems. Michael Gadola, then the Governor’s Legal Counsel, responds by agreeing with Brader. Brader and Rich Baird, another senior aide to the Governor, then discuss the idea with Emergency Manager Darnell Earley, who maintains the water quality problems can be solved and it would be cost-prohibitive to return to DWSD.]
    *

  30. harpie says:

    *
    December 16, 2014: MDEQ notifies Flint WTP of initial quarterly violation of SDWA Disinfection Byproducts (total trihalomethane, or TTHM) requirements.
    *
    December 31, 2014: First 6-month round of LCR monitoring ends. […explanation…] MDEQ fails to properly advise Flint WTP of this regulation.
    *
    January 12, 2015: In response to water quality concerns, the state installs water coolers in state offices in Flint, and state employees are given the option in their offices to use bottled water and provide bottled water to visitors.
    *
    January 2015 (date unclear): Staff from Genesee County Hospitals […] evaluation of the causes of the increased Legionellosis cases that had begun in 2014.
    *
    January 30, 2015: Brad Wurfel/MDEQ [e-mail to Snyder press sect’y re: Legionella: […] don’t “say publicly that the water in Flint is safe until we get the results of some county health department traceback work on 42 cases of Legionellosis in Genesee County since last May.”
    *
    March 3, 2015: in response to local complaints regarding drinking water quality and related health effects, Flint EM Ambrose cites $12 million in costs associate with returning to DWSD.
    *
    March 12, 2015: Stephen Busch/MDEQ e-mails colleagues stating that there is no confirmation of Legionella in the water supply. No test data are provided to substantiate this statement.
    *
    [NOTE: See March 13, 2015 info about Legionella e-mails.]
    *
    March 30, 2015: MDEQ notifies Flint of results of first six months lead and copper monitoring period.(July-December 2015)
    *

  31. harpie says:

    *
    Existing TL:
    *
    23-APR-2015 — [EMAIL] EPA’s Del Toral emails MDEQ, asking what corrosion control program was used in Flint.
    *
    [Note: They have this on 4/25; recipient: Pat Cook/MDEQ]
    *

  32. harpie says:

    *
    April 27, 2015: LaurelGarrison/CDC e-mails GCHD stating that the Legionellosis outbreak in Genesee County is “very large, one of the largest in the past decade.”
    *
    April 27, 2015: Pat Cook and Stephen Busch/MDEQ exchange e-mails complaining about Del Toral/EPA’s questions on corrosion control treatment.
    *
    May 29, 2015: MDHHS’s Surveillance of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology team produces a report regarding Legionellosis cases in Genesee County 2014-2015; the conclusion of the report is that “the outbreak is over.”
    *
    June 10, 2015: EPA/MDEQ conference call includes discussion of the fact that Flint does not have CCT in Place.
    *
    June 25, 2015: Adam Rosenthal/MDEQ e-mails Mike Glasgow and Brent Wright/Flint Utilities Department (copying Mike Prysby and Stephen Busch/MDEQ) reminding them that 61 more lead and copper samples need to be collected and sent to the lab by June 30, 2015, “and that they are will be [sic] below the AL [Action Level] for lead. As of now, with 39 results, Flint’s 90th percentile is over the AL for lead.”
    *
    July 7, 2015: MDEQ is contacted by the American Civil Liberties Union regarding a draft letter from Miguel Del Toral/EPA to LeeAnn Walters that raises concerns about possible leaching of lead from service lines without appropriate corrosion control.
    *

  33. harpie says:

    *
    July 10, 2015: Susan Hedman/EPA Region-5 (based in Chicago) writes to Flint Mayor Walling to say that EPA will work will work with MDEQ on issues related to lead in water.
    *
    July 22, 2015: Governor Snyder’s chief of staff, Dennis Muchmore e-mails director of MDHHS expressing that many members of the Flint community are raisning concerns about water but feel they are not being heard.
    *
    July 24, 2015: In response to Muchmore e-mail, Brad Wurfel/MDEQ writes: “The bottom line is that the residents of Flint do not need to worry about lead in the water supply, and MDEQ recent sampling does not does not indicate eminent [sic] health threat from lead.” Muchmore responds, “Thanks.”
    *
    July 28, 2015: new: [Much more detail in report timeline #50.]
    *
    August 31, 2015: EPA/MDEQ conference call: second six month monitoring test results for January1-July31, 2015 indicate 90th percentile at 11ppb. It is determined that CCT is needed and implementation steps are delineated.
    *
    August 31, 2015: Brad Wurfel/MDEQ raises concerns about Professor Edwards’ tests and accompanying media coverage to MDEQ Muchmore, Harvey Hollins, Dave Murray and Sara Wurfel of Governor’s office. There is no apparent communication with MDHSS regarding this issue.
    *

  34. harpie says:

    *
    September 8, 2015 [NOTE: more details about testing results posted by Edwards on this date. “FLINT HAS A VERY SERIOUS LEAD IN WATER PROBLEM.”]
    *
    September 9-12, 2015 [NOTE: Info about MDHSS educational materials development for the public.]
    *
    September 22, 23, 24, 2015: [NOTE: more about blood lead testing documentation.] [Includes 9/23/15 quote from Mikelle Robinson/MDHSS that the Governor’s office briefing maintains that Flint water does not represent an “imminent public health problem.”]
    *
    September 28, 2015: MDHHS Director Nick Lyons calls for analysis of the blood lead levels in order to “make a strong statement with a demonstration of proof that the blood lead levels seen are not out of the ordinary.” No such analysis is ever provided. Later that day, Governor Snyder is briefed by staff that the Flint water system is in compliance.
    *
    September 29, 2015: The Detroit Free Press publishes an analysis of the Flint blood lead level tests, concluding that Dr. Hanna-Attisha’s analysis is correct. GCHD issues a health advisory regarding the water quality. Governor Snyder’s office contacts Director Wyant and Director Lyon to consider emergency responses.
    *

  35. harpie says:

    This is the Technical Appendix to the July 2011 Rowe/LAN report:
    *
    Analysis of the Flint River as a Permanent Water Supply for the City of Flint, Appendices 1-8
    http://www.scribd.com/doc/64382181/Analysis-of-the-Flint-River-as-a-Permanent-Water-Supply-for-the-City-of-Flint-July-2011-Appendices-1-to-8
    *
    [p. 65/76] Technical Memorandum, Cost of Service Study; Flint Water Treatment Plant; [Draft] Lockwood, Andrews, Newnam; July 2011
    ***
    IV. Project implementation schedule
    *
    “There are a number of issues that will impact the implementation schedule for this work. The source water studies to define bin number associated with cryptosporidium and giardia will take approximately two years. Part of these studies can be preformed concurrently with design, but sufficient work will need to be performed to avoid impacting design schedule or work. A planning period of one year should be allowed for preliminary water quality and regulatory evaluations prior to initiating design work. Design of this project will require 10 to 12 months, with an additional three required for permitting. After permits are received, allow three month for bidding and contract execution. Major equipment procurement and construction will take from 24 to 30 months. Plant commissioning will take about two months.
    *
    Total time required from notice to proceed to project completion 52 months to 60 months. This time frame does not include financing issues.”
    ***
    That’s a long time, and not unreasonable.
    * Note that the preliminary water quality evaluation had not yet been done.
    * Note: In this report [p. 10/12] LAN includes a cost for phosphate. I’m pretty sure this is the anti-corrosion chemical [same as ortho-phosphate?] that’s been needed.

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