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FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The Latest on Flint's water emergency (all times local):
6 p.m.
Gov. Rick Snyder's office says the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved his request for low-interest disaster loans for businesses in Genesee County and Flint during the city's lead-tainted water crisis.
Snyder said Friday that approval of the "economic injury disaster loans will help business owners and nonprofits in Flint recover from any damages as a result of the water crisis."
Business owners seeking the loans must apply by Nov. 7. Repayment is tailored by the Small Business Administration to the borrower's financial capacity.
Flint's water supply became contaminated with lead when it switched its source from Detroit to the Flint River in 2014 to save money.
At the time, Flint was under state financial oversight.
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5:30 p.m.
U.S. Senate Republicans have faced criticism after refusing a Democratic bid to send hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency aid to Flint, Michigan. Now three GOP senators are launching in inquiry into actions taken by the Environmental Protection Agency in response to the crisis.
Senators David Vitter of Louisiana, James Inhofe of Oklahoma and John Cornyn of Texas say it "certainly appears that the EPA did not take action" or least alert the public about lead contamination in Flint's water. Inhofe chairs the Senate Environment Committee, while Vitter leads a subcommittee on infrastructure. Cornyn is the Senate's No. 2 Republican.
The lawmakers said in a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy that the agency failed in its stated mission to protect human health and the environment.
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4:45 p.m.
The former head of the Michigan's drinking water office has been fired after an investigation into the state's oversight of Flint's switch to a new water source that ultimately led to lead contamination.
Gov. Rick Snyder announced the termination Friday.
The employee, Liane Shekter Smith, was reassigned after the crisis came to light and suspended last month. The department continues to review the actions of a second employee who was suspended last month.
The Department of Environmental Quality failed to require Flint to treat the water so it would not corrode lead pipes.
State officials interpreted federal rules to mean Flint could make the transition in 2014 and then test the new water for lead over two six-month intervals to determine potential corrosion treatment.
The DEQ director and communications director resigned in December.
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4:15 p.m.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder says he's reaching out to Flint's Latino community to make sure residents are getting bottled water and filters during the city's lead-contamination crisis.
The governor on Friday visited Our Lady Guadalupe Catholic Church, where volunteers are distributing water and filters to the church's predominantly Latino parishioners.
Snyder says after meeting with the deacon, he wants to help with logistics, water and blood tests, and removing any issues facing non-English speakers. The state said last month that immigrants living illegally in the U.S. are no longer being denied water because they can't show ID.
Snyder thanked volunteers.
One, Rick Vasquez, told the governor that "lot of people like me are getting tired of taking a shower in buckets of water."
Snyder says lead pipes are being recoated but officials want to be "extra careful" before declaring the water is safe again.
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3:05 p.m.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is defending how his office responded to an email flagging a potential link between a surge in Legionnaires' disease and Flint's water.
The Republican governor told The Associated Press Friday that an aide, Harvey Hollins, asked the Department of Environmental Quality to look into a local official's concerns further. He says the DEQ was skeptical of any link last March and "didn't bring it forward" again.
Snyder says one reason he changed the agency's leadership is because he "wasn't getting the information that I should have."
Snyder publicly disclosed the spike in Legionnaires' cases in January, 10 months later, saying he learned about it a couple of days earlier. Snyder spoke after visiting a Flint church that's distributing water and filters to its predominantly Latino parishioners.
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