Flint Tells Feds It Needs Two More Years On Water

The long-running water crisis in Flint, MI, is set to continue for another two years.

“Mayor Karen Weaver wrote to U.S. EPA officials [last week] to inform them that the Michigan city will not be able to treat its own water for lead and other contaminants until 2019, citing a lengthy construction and testing process for a new water treatment plant,” CNN reported.

MLive reported last week that the city recently completed a pipeline, but will not treat the water from it for another two years.

Mayor Weaver signed the letter to the EPA, explaining that the city needs more time to study corrosion control and other issues before it can produce its own water, the report said.

Here is how Weaver explained the timeline in her letter:

The study of corrosion optimization for the Flint water treatment plant and determining its compatibility with potential back-up water sources will not start until processed water is available from the renovated Flint water treatment plant. Obviously, the corrosion optimization will be completed to the distribution system in late 2019.

Nevertheless, the city “could make final decisions on its primary and back-up sources of water in a matter of weeks, according to plans filed Wednesday, March 1, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” MLive reported.

Despite years of media attention on the Flint water crisis, many residents still say they have not received sufficient help.

“Since federal intervention, Flint's lead contamination has reportedly dropped. A six-month study by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality revealed in January that lead levels in Flint's water supply had fallen below the federal limit. However, many residents still rely on bottled water, and the state still recommends that residents use filtered water for cooking and drinking,” CNN reported.

Residents gathered to protest the status of the water crisis over the weekend.

“Civil rights, voting rights and water rights converged Sunday in Flint where about 200 people marched to commemorate the anniversary of the march in Selma, Ala., 52 years ago and link that struggle with the ongoing Flint water crisis,” the Detroit Free Press reported.

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Image caption, per Flickr: “City of Flint, MI, water, filter distribution, and sample turn-in, on Wednesday, October 5, 2016. While U.S. Department of Agriculture partners may have water available for residents, the responsibility here has been taken on by the city of Flint, with ‘Water Pickup’ locations in each of its wards, such as this one in Ward 8. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.”