Jesse Jackson to speak at rally about contaminated Flint, Michigan water

By Serena Maria Daniels FLINT, Mich. (Reuters) - Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson is scheduled to speak on Sunday at a rally in Flint, Michigan, about the city's lead-contaminated drinking water that has led to investigations, two lawsuits and multiple apologies by the state's governor. The rally, which will be held at 1:30 p.m. local time (1830 GMT) at the Heavenly Host Church of the Harvest, comes two days before Michigan Governor Rick Snyder gives his annual speech about the state. State officials expect this month to ask lawmakers to tap Michigan's budget surplus to cover costs related to the crisis. Jackson in an opinion piece last week criticized Michigan officials as poisoning the poor in impoverished Flint in order to save money. Snyder last week apologized again for the state's handling of the crisis and asked President Barack Obama to declare both an emergency and an expedited major disaster in Genesee County, where Flint is located, to free up federal aid. The financially-strapped city was under control of a state-appointed emergency manager when it switched its source of tap water from Detroit's system to the nearby Flint River in April 2014 in an effort to save money. Flint, which is about 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Detroit, returned to using that city's water supply in October after tests found elevated levels of lead in the water and in the blood of some children. The more corrosive water from the Flint River leached lead from the city pipes more than Detroit water did, leading to the current problems. Last week, the Michigan attorney general said his office would investigate whether any laws were violated in Flint related to the crisis. His probe follows one launched earlier by the U.S. Attorney in Detroit. Some Flint residents sued Snyder, other officials, Michigan and the city on Jan. 7 in Genesee County court and are seeking class action status covering all residents. Other Flint residents late last year filed a federal lawsuit. Genesee County also has seen a spike of Legionnaires' disease resulting in 10 deaths that may or may not be related to the water crisis, state officials previously said. (Reporting by Serena Maria Daniels, writing by Ben Klayman, editing by G Crosse)