| Population: | 81,2521 |
| Project length: | Continuing and began in 2016 |
| Project scope: | 10,114 lead service lines replaced |
| Cost: | $90 million, about $8,800 per line |
In January 2016, the President of the United States declared a federal emergency in Flint, with the EPA finding that lead in water presented an “imminent and substantial” danger to people drinking Flint’s water.2 The EPA concluded that the presence of lead in Flint’s water supply was principally due to the lack of corrosion control treatment after the city’s water source switched to the Flint River in April 2014. The river’s water caused corrosion in lead service lines, which then caused lead to leach into water even after Flint switched back to purchasing water from Detroit in late 2015.
Lawsuits arising from these events produced a 2017 settlement, which requires Flint to find and replace its LSLs.3 Under the terms of the settlement, funding is centralized—replacements of property-owner-side LSLs must be at no cost to them. To address this lead-contamination crisis, the EPA provided $100 million, with the State of Michigan required to provide $20 million; and, separately, the settlement required the state to provide an additional $47 million.4 The $100 million from the EPA was granted to Michigan’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which then granted money to Flint to address lead or other contaminants in drinking water, including repair and replacement of lead service lines and public water system infrastructure.5 Since 2016, over 10,000 lines have been replaced in Flint at a total cost of over $90 million.6
Even though this program is fully paid for, property owner participation is voluntary. The Flint water system must obtain consent from both the property owner and the resident if they are not the property owner to replace their side of the line. If permission is not granted, to avoid elevated lead levels associated with partial replacement, the legal settlement prohibits the city from replacing any portion of the LSL. It is possible that the voluntary participation approach has left many LSLs untouched. As of April 2022, over 2,100 property owners have either declined to have their lines checked or never responded to requests for permission to have their lines checked.7 In addition, because the settlement agreement does not cover vacant homes, there remain thousands of vacant homes in Flint that may have LSLs but where excavations to determine the water service line’s material have yet to occur.8
Notes
1 U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Flint city, Michigan.
2 U.S. EPA Emergency Administrative Order issued on January 21, 2016: Scanned Document (epa.gov).
3 Concerned Pastors for Social Action v. Khouri - Settlement Agreement (michigan.gov).
4 Microsoft Word - 2021-09-16 WIIN Act Report Cover Memo.docx (michigan.gov).
5 Flint Drinking Water Response | US EPA.
6 April 22, 2022 letter from the Director of Public Works to EPA Letter-to-EPA-Harris-from-City-Brown-dated-042222.pdf (michigan.gov); City of Flint launches final push to Get the Lead Out; Service line replacement project set to finish by Nov. 30, 2020 – City of Flint; Authors' calculations per Flint-Supplemental-Quarterly-Report-December-2021.pdf (michigan.gov).
7 The City of Flint reports that, as of April 10, 2022, it has excavated 27,348 lines, 388 homes are scheduled to have their lines checked for lead, 659 homeowners have declined to have their lines checked, and 1,530 have never responded to requests for permission to check their lines. See the April 22, 2022, letter from the director of public works to the EPA, Letter-to-EPA-Harris-from-City-Brown-dated-042222.pdf (michigan.gov).
8 Interviews with stakeholders in Flint, MI (April 2022).
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