Michigan restricted Flint from switching water in loan deal

The state of Michigan restricted Flint from switching water sources last April unless it got approval from Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration under the terms of a $7 million loan needed to help the city emerge from state management, according to a document released Wednesday.

By the time the loan agreement was in place, complaints about Flint’s water quality were growing louder, but officials had not yet discovered that improperly treated Flint River water had caused lead to leach from aging pipes.

[...] critics in the Michigan Democratic Party said that the loan document, obtained by the party through a public-records request, shows that his administration tied Flint’s hands and prevented earlier action.