Paul Egan

Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau

DIMONDALE -- Gov. Rick Snyder said new testing of water coming from Flint drinking water taps using scientifically controlled sampling is “a start,” but few conclusions should be drawn from the results.

Samples from 175 Flint residences designated as ‘sentinel sites” showed 19 samples, or 10.9%, exceeded the federal action level of 15 parts per billion, state officials said Monday as Snyder toured the new Emergency Operations Center at the state Secondary Complex in Dimondale, near Lansing. There were five homes, or 3%, that exceeded 100 parts per billion.

Sentinel sites are designated by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in consultation with Flint residents because they are at high risk for lead and will be used for ongoing, scientifically controlled testing to find out when Flint's water is safe to drink.

Keith Creagh, director of the DEQ, said more than 400 sentinel sites have been identified. He said initial testing took place between Feb. 10 and 14 at 175 residents. Another round of testing at other sentinel sites is to get under way this week, Creagh said.

Snyder said it's important to have controlled samples that are all being taken by scientists using the same approved methods.

The results announced Monday are "a start," Snyder told reporters. "It's not time to start drawing conclusions," but "these tests were done under more controlled circumstances."

Under federal guidelines,drinking water is not considered safe if 10% or more of tap samples exceed 15 parts per billion. Some say that standard is not strict enough.

Snyder said in a news release that "while initial results are encouraging, we remain concerned about any high levels of lead or copper," and "we appreciate the willingness of residents to participate in this program that will be essential to Flint's recovery."

Flint's drinking water became contaminated with lead in April 2014 while the city was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager and began drawing drinking water from the Flint River as a temporary cost-cutting measure.

The DEQ has acknowledged it failed to require needed corrosion control chemicals to be added to the water. As a result, officials believe lead leached from pipes, joints and fixtures into an unknown number of Flint households, causing a spike in the levels of toxic lead in the bloodstreams of Flint children.

The city is under state and federal emergency declarations and residents are advised not to drink tap water without using lead filters.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.