Lead Levels in Flint Water Drop, but Residents Still Can’t Drink It.
But they cautioned that it could be a year or more before it is safe for residents to drink from their faucets, because lead-tainted pipes need to be replaced.
She called the results of water tests “encouraging” but said residents should continue to drink bottled water or use filters.
“We still need help and support from the state and federal government so that all of the estimated 20,000 lead-tainted pipes remaining in the city will be replaced,” Ms. Weaver said.
The lead value of samples taken from those homes was 12 parts per billion, below the federal guideline of 15 parts per billion, the department said.
“The Flint water system is one of the most monitored systems in the country for lead and copper, and we remain committed to continuing work in Flint as the city recovers,” the department’s director, Heidi Grether, said in a statement.
Michael J. Steinberg, the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Michigan, said the test results were a good sign, but added that the city and state remained in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
“What the Safe Drinking Water Act requires is the minimization of lead and the optimization of corrosion control in the pipes,” he said.
Last month, two managers, Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose, who had been appointed by Gov.
On Tuesday, Governor Snyder, a Republican who has been fiercely criticized for his role in the crisis, welcomed the test results but said in a statement that “there is still more work to do in Flint.” “This is not the end of our work in Flint,” he said, “but it is one more step along the path toward Flint’s future.”