The city said Detroit water would be introduced into the system through the evening, with a complete replacement happening in about three weeks.
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But even as the water began to flow and officials heralded the development, the transition in water quality would not be complete for about three weeks.
Specifically, the Task Force will provide technical assistance to the MDEQ and the City of Flint to reconnect the Flint system to a new source of drinking water (to be supplied by the Great Lakes Water Authority) and to optimize corrosion control for the Flint system, starting in October 2015.
The city stopped getting water from Detroit previous year to cut costs and used river water. Kozicki has requested the Genesee County Health Department to being taking drinking water samples from schools, health care facilities, government buildings, restaurants and private residences in Flint.
Lead, a metal that can cause developmental delays and learning disabilities, is just the latest issue since Flint changed its water supply in April 2014.
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Water provided by DWSD will contain corrosion control agents to hinder the leaching of lead from old pipes into the water; however, the City will also be adding additional corrosion control agents to further minimize the risk presented by lead pipes. Snyder approved $9.3 million in water-related aid that includes money for home water filters, inspections, health services and lab testing. There were complaints regarding the water’s color, warnings about high E. coli levels, then warnings about unsafe levels of chemicals in the water, and ultimately independent tests that showed kids in the city were likely being exposed to unsafe levels of lead in the water. In addition, EPA will ask the Governor to designate a MDEQ official and the Mayor of Flint to designate a city official, to serve as points of contact for the Task Force.
