BROWNSTOWN TOWNSHIP — State Rep. Darrin Camilleri (D-Brownstown Township) hosted a community meeting on Monday to discuss how drinking water is treated and delivered, and to hear a report from the Great Lakes Water Authority about last month’s water quality issues. About 50 people attended the meeting, including local elected officials from Downriver communities. State Reps. Cara Clemente (D-Lincoln Park), Erika Geiss (D-Taylor) and Frank Liberati (D-Allen Park) were Camilleri’s guests for the event.

“I’m glad I was able to host this event to educate and inform Downriver residents about their drinking water,” Camilleri said. “I’d like to thank my colleagues and other guests for coming and having a productive discussion about a serious topic.”

“In the wake of the Flint water crisis, people are more aware of potential problems with their drinking water,” Clemente said. “The health and safety of our constituents is our foremost concern, which is why it’s so important that we understand this recent water issue.”

Great Lakes Water Authority Chief Executive Officer Sue McCormick and Chief Operating Officer Cheryl Porter gave a 30-minute presentation about the utility, what it does, how the drinking water system works and what caused last month’s taste and odor issues in several Downriver communities. Kris Donaldson and Amy Lachance from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and Andrew Kandrevas from the Wayne County Department of Public Services were also on hand to answer questions.

“In situations like this, the uncertainty is often the worst part, and after Flint, folks are understandably wary when officials tell them that their odd-smelling or odd-tasting water is safe,” Geiss said. “It’s good to finally receive a full accounting of these water issues so that we and our residents can understand exactly what happened and what has been done to fix it.”

“We want to be able to provide our residents with timely, accurate information when issues like this arise, though we certainly hope they won’t,” Liberati said. “My colleagues and I will take these lessons back to Lansing and develop better ways to keep our residents informed and, more importantly, safe.”