Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said Thursday he's sending an additional $2 million to help replace Flint's lead-contaminated water system.
"We continue to ensure every possible resource is being utilized so that Flint families have safe and reliable drinking water in their homes and schools," said Snyder, who's been criticized for not having moved fast enough to clean up the contamination.
Snyder said the money — for which Flint will have to complete a grant process — would help fund a plan announced Wednesday by Mayor Karen Weaver to begin switching out the pipes as early as next week.
The grant announcement came a day after Weaver dismissed a separate plan offered by Snyder to study whether any of the pipes could be coated temporarily to get drinkable water flowing into city homes.
Related: Michigan Governor Touts Flint Pipe Switch, but Mayor Pans It
Separately Thursday, the state House unanimously approved a measure that would send $30 million to Flint to help residents and businesses pay their water bills. The bill now goes back to the Senate to work out differences in its version of the legislation.
Officials still haven't been able guarantee that Flint's water is safe to drink, a predicament that dates to 2014, when the city — under the leadership of a Snyder-appointed fiscal manager — began drawing water from the Flint River.
Studies confirmed that the water wasn't properly treated, causing it to corrode pipes and fixtures, which then leaked lead. Flint children soon began turning up with dangerously high levels of lead in their blood, which can cause brain damage.
