Flint reconnected to Detroit water last October.
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But Flint isn’t alone in its lead-pipe infrastructure.
In addition to staffing, the federal agency said the city has failed to develop a comprehensive plan on anti-corrosion treatment of drinking water in Flint. The three named plaintiffs in the case want the city to pay for diagnostic testing, as well as replace all of Chicago’s lead service lines in full.
Studies have shown that lead pipes carrying water into homes can be shaken or damaged by nearby construction work. The short answer is no. Thought the city will notify you if you have a lead connection.
Warnings from state and federal officials were ignored or dismissed for almost 18 months until desperate residents, many of whom complained of discolored water and health problems, reached out to Virginia Tech scientists – they fully illustrated the high levels of lead in water.
As a cost-cutting measure in 2014, Flint switched its water system from Detroit to a local river. Lead pipes were outlawed by the Safe Drinking Water Act [summary] in 1986.
“We have a facility specifically dedicated for corrosion control”, Bronowski said. Snyder pledged an additional $2 million to remove lead pipes on Thursday. The city also spent $4 million over the last decade on caustic soda, which is used to make water less corrosive.
In an email, a spokeswoman for Mayor Karen Weaver says she “agrees that continued corrosion control is essential at all times to protect Flint residents from any lead solder in household plumbing and other plumbing fixtures”.
Chicago is struggling with a legacy of lead service lines throughout the city.
“We believe the city of Chicago knew well the risks and dangers of toxic lead contamination associated with these construction projects but chose to turn a blind eye to its own, allowing this mounting problem to become a widespread public health issue across the city of Chicago”, said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman, the law firm representing the residents.
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Fewer than 50 house lines in all of Akron are made of lead, Bronowski said. The second phase of Life’s Flint Water Relief will start on the first week of March. Snyder is seeking to direct another $195 million toward the crisis, including $30 million to cover a portion of residents’ and businesses’ water bills for two years and $25 million to replace service lines. “We had no idea that drinking the water in our own home was putting us at risk for lead poisoning”.
