Lead Service Line Replacement Deadline, Financial Compensation Announced For Flint
More than four years since a federal state of emergency was declared over the high levels of lead contamination in Flint, MI drinking water, the road to recovery is ongoing, but there may now be some relief in sight.
The contaminant was introduced to the city’s drinking water through its outdated infrastructure, which leeched lead into drinking water as it traveled to residents’ homes. The ultimate fix for the issue will only come once Flint’s lead service lines are all replaced. And, despite the urgency of the issue, the city has just negotiated an extended deadline of November 30, 2020 for completing the project.
“[Mayor Sheldon] Neely said the city has completed 91% of inspections, but still needs to visit about 2,500 households to see if they have lead pipes,” according to Michigan Radio. “Many of those homes still need to fill out consent forms and submit them to the city.”
The project stems from a lawsuit settlement reached between Flint and the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in 2017, but it has hit multiple delays. The spread of COVID-19 led to two months of delay and resident permission forms to conduct inspections have been lost, requiring consumers to submit new ones.
“Neely said previously completed forms got lost during multiple switches between contractors who were hired to dig up the pipes and replace them,” per Michigan Radio. “City attorney Angela Weaver said any resident who filled out a form before March 15, 2019 should submit a new one.”
Though the pipe replacement project has not gone as smoothly as could be hoped, victims of the contamination may soon find solace in another recent announcement: The state of Michigan is expected to pay $600 million to tens of thousands of Flint residents, pending approval from a federal judge.
“The money would largely be designated for children in Flint who were poisoned by lead-tainted tap water,” The New York Times reported. “The individual amounts received from the settlement would depend on Flint residents’ degree of suffering and damage from drinking the water.”
Any consumer who was living in Flint between 2014 and 2016 could be eligible for compensation through the funds and payments are expected to begin in spring 2021.
While the road to recovery for Flint and its residents goes on, it does now appear that some solace is in sight.
To read more about how treatment plants address contaminants like lead, visit Water Online’s Drinking Water Contaminant Removal Solutions Center.