FLINT, MI – The city of Flint will begin replacing water pipes this week after taking a brief hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a press release on June 2nd, the project should be completed by the end of the year. 85 percent of the project has been completed. In 2017, the city received $ 97 million in a state settlement to replace all lead and galvanized water pipes for residential buildings.
The replacements were stopped on April 2 by Mayor Sheldon Neeley to help contain the spread of COVID-19. Neeley said the program creates an “ideal environment” for the virus to spread as contractors have to go door-to-door and ask residents for permission to dig their pipes.
Neeley now says he is eager to complete the project.
“The residents of Flint deserve our project to be completed quickly and safely,” said Neeley. “We’ll get the job done and help keep household utility lines safe now and for generations to come.”
Flint has dug 25,400 aqueducts and has fewer than 5,000 homes left for review, according to the latest figures released by the city. According to the city, the water quality is stable.
The pipeline exchange program was scheduled to end on December 31, 2019, but contractors fell behind at work, according to the city. Contractors should be ready on or before June 30, a deadline negotiated by attorneys representing the city and plaintiffs in the $ 97 million settlement that is funding the project. A new deadline has been set for the end of this year.
Neeley urges residents to work with contractors to have their water pipes checked.
A resident who is 18 years of age or older must consent to their water pipes being checked. Then contractors dig a hole to check the house’s pipe.
If the pipes are copper then they are safe and the hole is filled. If the pipes are galvanized or leaded they will be replaced in most cases depending on the city.
The crews have to enter the house briefly to check that the pipes are properly connected to the house. The workers wear face masks and other protective equipment. You will also stay six feet from the residents. The resident’s lawn is being restored by another company.
Anyone who has refused to have their water pipes checked in the past can still request that they be checked now by calling (810) 410-1133. There are approximately 1,000 residents who turned it down or didn’t respond to requests to check their water pipes.
Residents will be contacted at least three times to have their pipes checked. This is done by sending a letter and through home visits.
For more information on the pipe replacement program, please email [email protected].
Continue reading:
Flint stops exchanging pipelines to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus
Flint missed the self-imposed deadline for replacing lead service lines
1,000 Flint residences have yet to be checked for lead water pipes
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