Flint replaces most lead pipes 10 years after the city’s water crisis

Flint, Michigan has replaced the majority of its lead water lines, more than a decade after contaminated drinking water sparked a national crisis.

About lead pipes replaced

A recent progress report filed by state officials revealed that 11,000 lead service lines have been replaced and over 28,000 properties restored across the city.

About the flint water crisis

In 2013, officials stopped buying water from Detroit. They began building a new pipeline to Lake Huron to cut costs.

While it was under construction, Flint switched its main water source to the Flint River in 2014.

Almost immediately, residents noticed problems. The water looked murky. It foamed from their taps.

Tests later showed high levels of lead, E. coli, and trihalomethanes — a chemical byproduct of disinfectants.

Despite the risks, city officials said the water was safe to drink.

They didn’t switch back to Detroit water until October 2015.

By then, the mostly Black community had been exposed for over a year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 100,000 people in Flint were exposed to lead during the water crisis. Several deaths were linked to the contamination.

Flint water crisis criminal case

Criminal charges were filed in connection with those deaths. However, the charges were later dismissed.

A lawsuit filed in 2017 was settled in 2021 for $626 million. As part of the settlement, the state agreed to replace the lead pipes at no cost to residents.

About 4,000 Flint homes still have lead pipes, according to the report.

Most were likely vacant during the replacement push, or the residents declined service, according to a spokesperson for the Natural Resources Defense Council—the advocacy group that led the lawsuit.