Federal judge gives Flint a brief reprieve from water source deadline

The Flint city council is getting a little more time to consider where the city’s drinking water should come from. A federal judge had ordered the city council to make a decision on a future water source by today. But that deadline has slipped. U.S. District Judge David Lawson is giving attorneys for the state and Flint city council until tomorrow to respond to a motion filed Sunday by the council seeking a delay. The city council has been balking at approving a 30-year contract with the Great Lakes Water Authority. Council members are concerned about future water bill increases. Gov. Rick Snyder's administration is suing Flint to force it to approve the GLWA contract, which has been serving the city since a lead disaster was declared in the fall of 2015. Emergency managers appointed by Snyder switched the city’s tap water source to the Flint River in 2014. The corrosive water wasn't properly treated, and lead leached from old plumbing.