US EditionFlint's still-unfinished lead pipe replacement serves as cautionary tale to other cities
- Flint is winding down its lead pipe replacement program more than a decade after switching to the Flint River caused lead contamination in 2014.
- The crisis originated in 2014 after a state-appointed emergency manager terminated Flint’s contract with Detroit’s water system to cut costs and began sourcing water from the Flint River without implementing corrosion control measures.
- A 2017 settlement required Flint to replace over 20,000 lead pipes and restore yards free of charge, but refusals and many vacant homes delayed completion.
- Officials are now reaching out to thousands of homes that may still have lead service lines by sending letters and conducting visits as needed, while the EPA ended its emergency order for Flint water in May 2023.
- Ongoing distrust and poor communication with residents highlight lessons for other cities facing recent federal mandates to replace lead service lines nationwide.
86 Articles
86 Articles
Blue Island distributes water sampling kits in effort to eliminate lead lines
Blue Island resident Sarah Haskell said she avoids letting her 1-year-old son drink tap water, as she is worried about contamination of lead in water lines. Instead, she keeps a Brita water filter on hand in her refrigerator. When Blue Island expanded its water sampling procedures mid-June, distributing lead and copper test kits to 60 randomly selected households as part of a project aiming to replace all water lead lines, Haskell said she was r…
Louisiana set to receive $412,000 from EPA to address lead pipes in schools, childcare facilities
Louisiana obtained a grant to replace lead pipes for schools and childcare facilities, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (Elise Plunk/Louisiana Illuminator)Louisiana will get $412,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to remove lead pipes for schools and childcare facilities across the state. The EPA announced in June that Louisiana is one of the states set to receive part of the $26 million doll…
Why Is The Lead Pipe Replacement In Flint Still Unfinished Nearly 11 Years After Water Crisis Began?
Source: picture alliance / Getty It has been more than a decade since 2014, when a Michigan state-appointed emergency manager decided it was a good idea to save money by a contract with Detroit’s water system and switched to the Flint River, causing the Flint water crisis by ditching a system that didn’t need treatment to prevent corrosion that put lead in the water pipes for one that did. It’s been eight years since 2017, when Flint entered int…
Flint's Still-unfinished Lead Pipe Replacement Serves as Cautionary ...
Associated Press News
Flint's still-unfinished lead pipe replacement serves as cautionary tale to other cities
Flint, Michigan, is still working on replacing all of its lead pipes. The effort was supposed to be finished years ago, but slow work, poor record-keeping and residents' mistrust in their local government caused extensive delays.
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