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Brita water filters rest on the floor for pickup from Flint residents at a Flint fire station on Martin Luther King Avenue on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016 in Flint, as the first seven Michigan National Guard soldiers arrive, assigned by Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday to help distribute water and relieve residents in relation to the Flint water crisis. American Red Cross is already stationed and aiding citizens in this effort. Jake May | MLive.com

(Jake May | MLive.com)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Midwest retailer Meijer donated the water filters Gov. Rick Snyder's team quietly gave Flint ministers to distribute to residents in August.

At the request of a Sndyer aide, Meijer co-CEO Mark Murray worked with the retailer's vendor, Clorox, to provide the free 1,500 filters to the community, reports the Detroit Free Press.

The paper cites emails released by Gov. Rick Snyder on Saturday, showing communication between Murray and Harvey Hollins, who handled urban affairs for Snyder and was later the point person on the Flint water issue.

A review of those emails by MLive shows that references to Murray, Meijer and Clorox were redacted.

A Meijer spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from MLive.

The donations were requested as state officials maintained the city's water was safe to drink despite widespread complaints from residents and others.

The filters were to address aesthetic concerns such as odor or taste, not health issues such as lead, Gov. Snyder's spokesman said in September. The ministers, who were given the water filters to distribute, were asked not to mention the state's role in securing them.

Murray, a former state treasurer, worked with California-based Clorox, which manufactures the Brita water filters.

In a July 27 email to Hollins, Murray wrote:

Hollins requested Brita water filters by product number. Although the filter is designed to remove lead specifically along with other contaminants, Hollins didn't mention "lead" in his emails with Murray.

Two months later, the state pledged to spend $1 million to buy and distribute filters to residents after acknowledging the lead contamination in the city's tap water.

The state's public about-face came after a Hurley Medical Center doctor's study showed elevated lead levels in the blood of children. The analysis concluded the spike came after the city's switch to the Flint River as its water source. The improperly treated river water corroded old pipes and leached lead into the drinking water of homes and businesses.

Snyder is voluntarily posting thousands of emails sent between 2011 and Jan. 5, 2016, when the state declared a water emergency in the city.

Unlike in most states, the Michigan governor's office isn't subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

Shandra Martinez covers business and other topics for MLive. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez.