In April 2014, Flint, Michigan, switched its water supply from the Detroit system to the Flint River, triggering lead from pipes to leach into the water supply. In January 2016, President Obama declared a state of emergency in Flint. See a full timeline of events that led to Flint’s water crisis.
This past May, we reported on how the President visited Flint, encouraging residents to use water filters while the process of replacing corroded pipes was taking place, and WQA President Don McGhee offered to advise and educate the Flint community on using and maintaining filters.
Three Months Later… Where Does Flint Stand?
The good news is that Flint is making progress in fixing its water system and removing lead from water. According to this report from PBS NewsHour:
“In the most recent round of testing in July, 45% of homes did not have detectable levels of lead, compared to only 9% of homes in August 2015.”
Those figures come from a study by researchers at Virginia Tech funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Despite the improvements, Flint residents are still advised to continue using water filters and/or drinking bottled water.
That’s where the potential problem comes in…
According to this NBC 25 news report, Flint may not have the money available to continue supplying residents with filters and water bottles. The city’s federal “state of emergency” designation lapsed on August 14, putting the budgetary responsibility fully on the state of Michigan. The report notes:
“Right now, if nothing changes in 51 days there will be no more money left to buy bottled water and filters for the people of Flint.”
Hopefully, additional funding will be provided to help the residents of Flint as the water system continues its recovery. According to NBC 25, “The state budget office says to date $234 million dollars has been allocated to the water crisis.”
