Officials Warned Of Water, Legionnaires' Link In Flint

LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Internal emails show that high-ranking officials in Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's administration were aware of a surge in Legionnaires' disease potentially linked to Flint's water long before the governor reported the increase to the public.

When he disclosed the spike in January, Snyder said he had learned about it just a couple of days earlier. But emails obtained by the liberal group Progress Michigan through public-records requests and shared with The Associated Press show Snyder's own office was aware of the outbreak since last March.

The outbreak was also well known within state agencies, according to emails obtained separately by the AP and other news organizations.

A spokesman says Snyder never knew about the outbreak despite an aide knowing 10 months earlier.