Flint has replaced most of its lead pipes more than a decade after contamination was found in the city’s water system.
On Tuesday (July 1), Michigan state officials submitted a progress report in court stating that they had replaced 11,000 lead pipes in the city and restored over 28,000 affected properties, per NBC News.
Allen C. Overton of the Concerned Pastors for Social Action was among several plaintiffs who sued state officials in 2017 over Flint’s water crisis. The lawsuit was settled in 2021 for $626 million and an agreement to replace the lead pipes.
“Thanks to the persistence of the people of Flint and our partners, we are finally at the end of the lead pipe replacement project,” Overton said in a statement. “While this milestone is not all the justice our community deserves, it is a huge achievement.”
In an attempt to cut costs, officials stopped buying water from Detroit and created a pipeline to Lake Huron in 2013. The city’s primary water source came from the Flint River while the pipeline was being completed.
The water from the Flint River tested positive for high levels of trihalomethanes, a disinfectant byproduct, E. coli bacteria, and lead. At the time, city officials claimed the water was still safe for consumption. The majority-Black city didn’t switch back to using Detroit water until October 2015.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the water crisis exposed nearly 100,000 Flint residents to lead.
Overton applauded residents for holding officials “accountable” for the impact of the Flint water crisis.
“We would not have reached this day without the work of so many Flint residents who worked to hold our leaders accountable,” he said. “I have never been prouder to be a member of the Flint community.”
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