Michigan will stop providing free bottled water to the city of Flint, Gov.
But Michigan officials said lead levels in the water there have not exceeded federal limits for about two years, so the state was closing the four remaining distribution centers where residents have been picking up cases of free water since January 2016.
“We have worked diligently to restore the water quality and the scientific data now proves the water system is stable and the need for bottled water has ended,” Mr. Snyder, a Republican, said in a statement on Friday.
Flint’s mayor, Karen Weaver, said she was informed of the decision only moments before it was made public.
Lines of cars formed outside distribution points on Friday as residents rushed to load up on the last of the free bottles.
Flint is working with contractors to replace all of the affected lines by 2020.
An estimated 12,000 could remain.
“The funding is helping with water quality improvements, pipe replacement, health care, nutritional food distribution, educational resources, job training and creation, and more.” Flint has struggled with its water crisis since 2014, when state-appointed officials began using the Flint River, rather than the more expensive Detroit water system, as a source for tap water that was not properly treated before it reached residents’ homes.
One study published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2016 found that the percentage of Flint children with elevated levels of lead in their blood doubled after the switch, which has also been linked to 12 fatal cases of Legionnaires’ disease.
The city switched back to the Detroit water system in 2015, and the crisis resulted in felony charges against emergency managers who had been appointed by Mr. Snyder to help run the city.