--- description: State workers in Flint, Mich., appear to have received bottled drinking water 10 months before Governor Rick Snyder publicly admitted there was a problem with the city's water, according to documents obtained by liberal group Progress Michigan title: State workers in Flint Given Clean Water Months Before Residents Warned of Danger image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a47c2d174ef3b20/69887b32524fc00055df6826/rick-snyder3.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Flint](/tag/flint/) ## Flint Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # State Workers in Flint Given Clean Water Months Before Residents Warned of Danger  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 29, 2016 12:06 AM CUT  Rick Snyder speaks to the media regarding the status of the Flint water crisis on Jan. 27, 2016 at Flint City Hall. Rick Snyder speaks to the media regarding the status of the Flint water crisis on Jan. 27, 2016 at Flint City Hall.Brett Carlsen—Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 29, 2016 12:06 AM CUT State workers in Flint, Mich., appear to have received clean drinking water months before [Governor Rick Snyder](http://time.com/4182474/michigan-governor-defends-handling-of-flint-water-crisis/ "undefined") publicly admitted there was a [problem](http://time.com/4188328/the-poisoning-of-an-american-city/ "undefined") with the city’s water, [according to documents](http://www.progressmichigan.org/2016/01/document-snyder-admin-trucked-in-clean-water-for-state-building-in-january-2015/ "undefined") obtained by liberal group Progress Michigan. The group released emails that show public officials in the city communicating about water quality and then receiving a notification about water coolers being provided in the office. “While the City of Flint states that corrective actions are not necessary, DTMB is in the process of providing a water cooler on each occupied floor, positioned near the water fountain, so you can choose which water to drink. The coolers will arrive today and will be provided as long as the public water does not meet treatment requirements,” the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget said in [an advisory dated Jan. 7, 2015](http://www.scribd.com/doc/297005752/DTMB-Facility-Notification "undefined"). Snyder first [acknowledged](http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/01/11/officials-announce-new-steps-flint-water-crisis/78634678/ "undefined") that the water might be contaminated with lead in October. Caleb Buhs, a spokesman for DTMB, [told the Detroit _Free Press_](http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/01/28/amid-denials-state-workers-flint-got-clean-water/79470650/ "undefined") on Thursday that the department never told state employees the tap water was unsafe to drink but provided an alternative. He said the coolers were offered due to a contamination issue the city said had already subsided, but they continued to be provided because “there were more findings as we went along,” according to the _Free Press._ **Read more:** [The Poisoning of an American City](http://time.com/4188328/the-poisoning-of-an-american-city/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4199126/flint-water-crisis-officials-clean-water/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4199126/flint-water-crisis-officials-clean-water/"},"headline":"State Workers in Flint Given Clean Water Months Before Residents Warned of Danger","datePublished":"2016-01-29T00:06:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T14:33:14.735Z","description":"Workers were given water coolers after complaints about water quality","url":"https://time.com/4199126/flint-water-crisis-officials-clean-water/","keywords":["Flint"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a47c2d174ef3b20/69887b32524fc00055df6826/rick-snyder3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a47c2d174ef3b20/69887b32524fc00055df6826/rick-snyder3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Federal State Of Emergency Declared In Flint, Michigan Over Contaminated Water Supply","caption":"Federal State Of Emergency Declared In Flint, Michigan Over Contaminated Water Supply","creditText":"Brett Carlsen—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/flint/","name":"Flint"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4199126/flint-water-crisis-officials-clean-water/","name":"State Workers in Flint Given Clean Water Months Before Residents Warned of Danger"}}]}] ```