The settlement requires Michigan to provide at least $87 million, with an extra $10 million in reserve, to inspect and replace the pipes as well as provide the plaintiffs with $895,000 to recover legal fees.
The national outrage and outpouring of support for the city after its lead contamination was publicized two years ago has led to substantial changes for the community’s water system, says Virginia Tech engineering professor Marc Edwards, who was one of the first people to identify the water contamination crisis in Flint.
"Flint has actually been meeting all federal water safety standards for at least 6 months, and in similar situations, residents of other cities in the US are routinely told that their water is ‘safe’ to drink, even without filtration," Dr. Edwards tells The Christian Science Monitor via email.
About $30 million of the settlement will be paid out of $100 million in federal funds from an Obama-era law signed in December 2016.
"It provides a comprehensive framework to address lead contamination in Flint’s tap water."
The lead crisis in Flint began in April 2014, when a state-appointed emergency manager switched the city’s water supply from Detroit water to the Flint River as a temporary cost-cutting measure.
"The Flint crisis is more than just water lacking corrosion control, but also the corroded lead pipes," he tells the Monitor via email.
Dr. Feigl-Ding, who is also the founder of Toxin Alert, a non-profit network and public alert system for toxic drinking water contamination, notes that many Flint residents have already suffered health problems from lead poisoning.
Virginia Tech’s Edwards says that the settlement represents an important step forward for Flint – and for communities across the country struggling with similar water problems.
"This new ‘Flint Standard’ should be considered for many other cities with old infrastructure, who currently have even worse lead in water problems than Flint."

Preparing drinking water when you’re under a boil water advisory.
(WRDW/WAGT) – It may not happen all the time, but sometimes a water main break will shut off the water to either a whole street or a whole neighborhood.
Sometimes, however, it’s not always convenient to boil your water.
Disinfect water using household bleach Yes, you can use regular, unscented chlorine bleach to make drinking water.
How do you add bleach to your water?
Grab a clean dropper from your medicine cabinet.
Take the bleach (the label should say it contains 8.25% of sodium hypochlorite) and add drops based on the volume of water: – 1 quart/liter: 2 drops – 1 gallon: 6 drops – 2 gallons: 12 drops (1/8 teaspoon) – 4 gallons: 1/4 teaspoon – 8 gallons: 1/2 teaspoon The EPA recommends doubling the amount of bleach if the water is cloudy, colored, or very cold.
If the chlorine taste is too strong, pour the water from one clean container to another and let it stand for a few hours before use.
If the water is cloudy, let it settle and filter it through a clean cloth or coffee filter.
You can improve the taste of boiled water by adding one pinch of salt to each quart or liter of water, or pour the water from one clean container to another several times.

Woman Runs Equivalent of 40 Marathons Across 6 Continents to Raise Awareness about Global Water Crisis.
She plans to traverse the globe, running the equivalent of 40 marathons in 40 days to draw attention to the global water crisis.
6 Rivers, 6 Continents, 6 Goals to End Water Scarcity Guli’s journey, which is sponsored by Tibet Water, LieStraw, Nike, and 5100, is sure to make an impact.
Most of the water humans use comes from rivers.
Guli hopes to draw attention to ‘Goal 6’ of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which focuses on improving access to clean water.
Specifically, Guli hopes her 6 River Run will raise awareness for, and help achieve, ‘Goal 6′ of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
“The global water crisis is pervasive and demands our immediate attention,” said Guli, who also serves as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.
In some areas, there may be a lot of water, but it isn’t safe to drink.
To help solve the global water crisis, Guli said we also need to be more aware of how and where we use our water.
This means that remembering to turn off the faucet and taking shorter showers might not be enough to tackle the global water crisis.

Niger earmarks N43m for potable water supply to New-Bussa.
The Niger State Government says it has earmarked N43 million for the provision of potable water for the people of New-Bussa in Borgu Local Government Area of the state.
The Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bello, made the disclosure on Sunday when he paid courtesy visit to the Emir of Borgu, Alhaji Mohammed Kintoro IV.
Bello said: “Government has earmarked N43 million for water supply project in New-Bussa very soon you will see the contractor on site.
He commended the emir for ensuring peaceful coexistence of the people of the emirate and urged him to continue the good work.
He said: “We want you to urgently intervene in solving the perennial water scarcity in our Emirate.” He said despite the presence of Kainji dam in New-Bussa, the people area faced hardship due to lack of portable water supply.
The emir also appealed to the state government to assist the people in drilling boreholes, adding that the Kainji Dam in the area had affected all traditional water sources for the people.
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A pair of hazardous chemicals used for decades in firefighting at Joint Base McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst have contaminated ground, surface, and drinking water on and near the base, a spokesman said last week, with tests showing levels 20 to thousands of times higher in some samples than federally recommended standards. Three of 131 private wells tested at homes off the base show evidence of the fluorinated chemicals known as PFOS and PFOA, Staff Sgt. Dustin Roberts said Friday, with one home’s drinking water containing 1,392 parts per trillion. The Environmental Protection Agency’s health advisory for these chemicals has set 70 parts per trillion as its recommended level. Roberts said the base was providing the affected homes with bottled water and was studying ways to remediate the problem. None of the affected private wells serve schools or other public institutions, he said. Two shallow wells that provide drinking water to the base showed levels as high as 215 parts per trillion, according to Roberts. He said he did not know how much of the base’s drinking water comes from…

The shortage of safe drinking water is found in Pakistan with an estimated 44 percent of the population without access to clean drinking water. In rural areas, 90 percent of the people don’t have access to this basic necessity. The water scarcity threat is one of the biggest challenges to Pakistan’s survival. Around 200,000 children in Pakistan die every year because of diarrheal diseases, according to a report…

Residents of Link road, Marwah colony and Gurian localities of Kishtwar have been facing acute shortage of drinking water for the last couple of weeks owing to failure of PHE officials to repair broken water supply lines. Talking to the Greater Kashmir , residents said that despite tall claims, the authorities have failed to ensure regular water supply . Residents of New Marwah colony and Gurian also share similar concerns. “We fetch water from…

To mark World Water Day on March 22, WaterAid released its State of the World’s Water report, warning that because of climate change, the world’s poorest communities will face an even tougher struggle for access to clean water. Countries ranking highest in population without access to clean water also rank high in vulnerability to climate change and low in their ability to adapt to it. “Extreme weather events resulting from climate change can mean more storm surges, flooding, droughts and contaminated water sources. They can wipe out fragile infrastructure, dry up rivers, ponds and springs, and contribute to the spread of waterborne diseases making an already difficult situation worse for the 663 million people in the world without access to clean water. When climate disasters strike rural populations, the challenges are even greater,” CEO of WaterAid Canada, Nicole Hurtubise, told Lady Freethinker. Since 2010, the right to clean water has been recognized as a basic human right. It is the primary step in the struggle to overcome poverty and gain access to fundamental healthcare, education, and employment. Even so, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that by 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas. These are areas where the demand for clean water outweighs the supply. WOMEN AND CHILDREN HARDEST HIT Of the 663 million people without access to water, most are in rural communities, with women and children being disproportionately affected. A report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) notes that one in four—or 600 million—children will be living without basic access to water by 2040. With a 31.7 percent global gender gap, water is an essential component of achieving gender…

Over 663 million people across the world don’t have access to clean drinking water. We’ll have 40 percent less potable water than what we’ll need in 2030. With growing populations relying on shrinking freshwater sources, it’s imperative that we, as a species, get serious about sustainability and prudent use of our dwindling water reserves. While we’ll need to do whatever we can to stretch existing sources, recycling the copious amounts of wastewater we’re producing right now could go a long way toward addressing our growing demand for clean water. The emergence of viable and scalable technologies that can do just that has made it a serious possibility, within our lifetime. Several countries across the world are doing more than just dabbling in wastewater recycling right now. Singapore, Israel, Spain, a few Scandinavian countries, as well as the United States recycle a significant portion of the wastewater they generate. Recycled wastewater is generally disposed of in larger bodies of water (seas, rivers, ponds, etc.) or used for gardening, cleaning, as well as for industrial applications. Israel is a world leader in wastewater treatment; around 85 percent of their wastewater is treated and recycled for ruse in sectors like agriculture. Singapore, Australia and the US (especially California) generate significant amounts of portable water though wastewater recycling. Still, very little (probably less than two percent) of recycled wastewater is used as potable water….

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has warned that the lives of nearly 600 million children globally would be at risk in 2040 as a result of water stress. The Fund also noted that in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, the three states most directly affected by conflict, almost 4 million required water, sanitation and hygiene assistance. It lamented that 192 out of 450 health facilities, ranging from hospitals to basic public health care centres, had been completely destroyed in Borno, the hardest hit state. Speaking at a programme marking the World Water Day, Geoffrey Ijumba, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Nigeria, Maiduguri Field Office, in a goodwill message on the event, revealed that in the northeast of Nigeria, with funding support from donors, UNICEF was working with government and development partners to provide water and sanitation facilities in internally displaced persons’ camps and host communities to address the water needs of the people Borno. He said on this year’s world water day, UNICEF launched a report: Thirsting for a Future: Water and children in a changing climate. The report highlights the adverse effects of a changing climate on water sources and its impact on the lives of children. According to Ijumba, the report further elaborated that the lives of nearly 600 million children will be at risk in 2040 as a result of water…