Flint’s 18,000 Lead-Contaminated Water Lines Will Be Replaced by 2020.
On Monday, the Associated Press reported that the city of Flint, Michigan, as well as the state of Michigan, agreed to replace at least 18,000 lead or galvanized-steel pipes in the city that are leaching harmful pollutants into the residents’ drinking water.
The state will finance the project with $87 million and said it would keep an additional $10 million on reserve to deal with future problems.
The AP also reported on Monday that both former president Barack Obama and current president Donald Trump played a part in making this agreement go through.
Obama signed the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act of 2016 in December to help solve the nation’s water safety problems, and the current Environmental Protection Agency under Trump accepted the proposal to divert $100 million out of the $170 million in the fund to aid the people of Flint.
To recap, back in April 2014, government officials in Flint, Michigan, began using what they claimed was "treated" water from the Flint River in an effort to save the city money.
According to PBS, it’s estimated that roughly 100,000 residents have been exposed to the contaminated water, and Vox reported that this number includes around 8,000 children.
Given that the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 41.2% of residents live below the poverty line, the median household income is $24,862, and over 56% of the community is black, the contamination also ignited nationwide discourse about how these communities are treated and the speed at which their problems are addressed.
A federal judge will be given the new settlement on Tuesday for sign-off, according to AP.
Related: What It’s Really Like to Live in Flint, Michigan Check this out: