The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established the Flint Safe Drinking Water Task Force to assist with developing and implementing a plan to secure water quality, including measures to optimize corrosion control, the agency announced last week.

“The EPA is committed to working with our state and local partners to ensure a safe and reliable drinking water supply for the residents of Flint, Michigan,” says Susan Hedman, EPA Region 5 administrator. “The formation of this task force continues our commitment to providing technical assistance to the City of Flint and the State of Michigan.”

The task force will provide technical expertise through regular conversations with designated officials from Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the City of Flint. Task force members will be available to consult with MDEQ and the City of Flint on site in Flint. The task force will also coordinate as necessary with federal, state and local public health agencies to assist with protection of public health.

Specifically, the task force will provide technical assistance to the MDEQ and the City of Flint to reconnect the Flint system to a new source of drinking water (to be supplied by the Great Lakes Water Authority) and to optimize corrosion control for the Flint system, starting in October 2015. The task force will also provide technical assistance to the MDEQ and the City of Flint, as needed, in advance of and following connection of the Flint water system to a new source of drinking water (to be supplied by the Karegnondi Water Authority) and to optimize corrosion control for the Flint system, starting in 2016.

The task force will be comprised of scientists and technical experts from the EPA Region 5 office in Chicago, the National Risk Management Research Lab in Cincinnati and the EPA drinking water program. In addition, the EPA will ask the governor to designate an MDEQ official and the mayor of Flint to designate a city official, to serve as points of contact for the task force.