State of Michigan avoids making home water deliveries in Flint, forced to pony up another $47 million.
The State of Michigan settled a federal lawsuit this week that allows them to avoid having to make home deliveries of water to Flint residents without safe drinking water but compels them to spend $47 million in an attempt to do right by the beleaguered city: The state will allocate $87 million for the City of Flint to identify and replace at least 18,000 unsafe water lines in Flint by 2020 under a proposed settlement of a federal lawsuit that also provides the state with a road map to end free distribution of bottled water later this year.
But the plaintiffs get a schedule for water line replacements while the state gets a schedule for weaning Flint off the community resource stations where bottled water, water filters and filter replacement cartridges are now distributed free of charge.
The centers could close as early as Sept. 1, subject to test results on Flint tap water.
The Detroit Free Press reports that, “the agreement calls for replacement of 6,000 lines by Jan. 1, 2018, and at least 6,000 more lines each of the two following years, with all lines covered by the agreement replaced by Jan. 1, 2020.
Here are some of the details, from reporting by MLive: The full settlement document includes: A requirement that the state allocates $87 million to pay for the replacement of lead and galvanized water service lines — at least $47 million of which must come from sources other than those approved by Congress and President Barack Obama last year.
This is a step in the right direction.
However, as we all know, had this happened in one of Michigan’s more affluent communities, they wouldn’t have to wait for three years to have their problem solved.
This is the most blatant example of environmental injustice happening in the country right now and we need to make sure that it doesn’t go down the memory hole until the people of Flint have been made whole.
[PROGRAMMING NOTE: On April 9th, LOLGOP and I will be traveling to Flint for some interviews to be aired on our podcast on April 10th.]