Oskar Blues and Ball Corp. have provided 50,000 cans of fresh water to residents of Flint, Mich., and more are on the way, Chad Melis, a spokesman for the Longmont-based brewery, said Monday.
The water will be shipped from Oskar Blues’ brewery in Brevard, N.C., in cans provided by Ball, which is based in Broomfield.
On Saturday, President Barack Obama declared a federal emergency in Flint to help fund a fix to the suburban Detroit city’s water contamination problem. High levels of lead have been detected in the city’s drinking water, which since April 2014 has been drawn from the Flint River, rather than from Detroit, to save money.
Tests show the river water was inadequately treated, which caused lead to leach from old pipes. Children in the city are showing elevated lead levels in their blood, which can cause permanent brain damage.
In the past few months, Oskar Blues has, through its Can’d Aid Foundation, sent water to victims of flooding in South Carolina and tornado victims in Texas, and sent 25 employee volunteers to work with All Hands Volunteers in South Carolina.
“Ball made cans available for our collaborative recovery efforts from South Carolina flooding and northern Texas tornado recovery. So when we learned of the need in Flint, we were able to make it happen quickly,’ Melis said. “Having strong ties with our friends at Perrin Brewing in Michigan definitely made this effort even more meaningful. There’s still a ton of water needed, so we’ll keep after it.”
