Michigan is set to announce that it has finally replaced all of the lead water pipes in the city of Flint.
The news comes a decade after lead-contaminated water was first found in its water system, resulting in extensive legal battles and national outrage over one of the country’s most damaging water crises.
There is no safe level of exposure to lead, which can result in reproductive issues, high blood pressure, hypertension, nerve disorders, muscle and joint pain, and memory and concentration problems in adults. In children, it can lead to hearing problems, slowed growth, headaches, learning and behavioral difficulties, lowered IQ, and damage to the brain and nervous system.
Now, eight years after a court-ordered settlement required Flint officials to replace the pipes, nearly 11,000 have been replaced and more than 28,000 properties have been restored, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. In a release, it cited a progress report the state submitted to a federal court.
“Flint residents never gave up fighting for safe drinking water in the face of government indifference, mistruths, and incompetence. I’ve been angry that officials poisoned the drinking water in my home and community. But I will always be proud that Flint inspired a federal rule requiring that every lead pipe in the country be replaced in the next decade. Flint changed America, for the better,” Melissa Mays, of the organization Water You Fighting For, said in a statement shared by the council.
“In these challenging times for our country — marked by chaos and pain for so many — the story of Flint is a shining beacon of hope,” President Manish Bapna added. “It is a reminder of the power that we the people of this country hold. It’s a reminder of why preserving American democracy is so essential. It’s a reminder of what’s possible if we stand up to powerful forces and refuse to back down.”
The city confirmed in an emailed statement to The Independent that the court-ordered settlement agreement with the council had been fulfilled.
“While that specific project is complete, Flint’s overall water service line replacement program is approximately 97 percent complete citywide,” Director of Communications Shana Rowser explained.
“This progress reflects years of hard work and coordination between local, state, and federal partners to address a crisis that should never have happened. We remain committed to completing the remaining work and continuing long-term investment in water infrastructure to ensure safe, reliable service for all Flint residents,” Rowser said.
The Michigan attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment.
The water crisis began in 2014, after a state-appointed emergency manager ended a contract with Detroit’s water system, switching to the Flint River to save money. The state did not require treatment to prevent corrosion that caused lead to leach into the water supply of the majority-Black city. Nearly 100,000 Flint residents were exposed to lead through their drinking water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One study found that the number of children with elevated lead levels in their blood doubled or even tripled.
The switch coincided with an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease, or a severe form of pneumonia, that killed a dozen people and sickened at least 87 between June 2014 and October 2015, the council reported. It was the third-largest outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease recorded in U.S. history.
Three years later, the city’s residents — a third of whom live in poverty — sued Flint and Michigan officials for access to safe water, resulting in a landmark settlement in 2017. A federal court in Detroit ordered Flint to give every resident the opportunity to have their lead pipe replaced at no cost to them and to provide comprehensive tap water testing, implement a faucet filter distribution and education program, and maintain funding for health programs to help residents.
The council has said the Covid pandemic and “ineffective” management of the program stalled the work by years.
Since then, Flint’s story has inspired action at a national level, and the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency issued a federal rule requiring every lead pipe to be replaced in the next ten years.
The agency estimates that as many as 9 million homes are served through lead pipes across the country and that replacing them could cost at least $45 billion. A decision on whether to honor that commitment is due from the Trump administration later this summer.
With reporting from The Associated Press
