Michigan governor Rick Snyder expected to devote speech to water crisis

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is likely to devote much of his annual State of the State speech to a drinking water emergency that has put Flint residents at risk and engulfed his administration with criticism.

The Republican is expected to further detail plans to address the contamination of Flint's water with lead during his address to the GOP-led Legislature on Tuesday night.

Michigan is already providing lead testing, filters, bottled water and other essentials in the city of 99,000. Some say customers shouldn't have to pay their water bills because the water is unsafe without filtering, but it's unclear if lawmakers will cover the expense.

Snyder is also expected to again press lawmakers to address mounting financial problems in Detroit's school district.

The mayor of Flint says she's headed to Washington to discuss her city's water crisis.

Mayor Karen Weaver says she hopes to secure a disaster declaration because Flint's water supply was contaminated with lead when the water supply was switched from the Detroit system to the Flint River in 2014.

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