Flint completes lead pipe replacement 11 years after beginning of water crisis

Posted Wednesday, July 2, 2025 4:52 pm

Lead pipes | Environmental Protection Agency photo

Nearly a decade after high levels of lead were first detected in the City of Flint’s drinking water, the state of Michigan has submitted a progress report to a federal court marking the completion of its lead line replacement program.

On Tuesday, the Natural Resources Defense Council, who secured a settlement with the city and the state in 2017 to replace all of Flint’s lead lines, acknowledged that more than eight years later, the state had replaced nearly 11,000 pipes and restored more than 28,000 properties.

In 2014, the city switched its water supply from water piped in from Detroit to the Flint River, a decision made by emergency managers appointed by then-Gov. Rick Snyder as a cost-saving move. Due to inadequate treatment of the water, corroding pipes leached lead into thousands of homes as residents raised concerns about discolored, foul-smelling and tasting water.

Bonsitu Kitaba, the interim legal director of the ACLU of Michigan, who worked with the city council to secure the settlement, credited the citizens of Flint for Tuesday’s milestone, emphasizing the efforts residents made to ensure the city and the state fulfilled their obligations.

“Residents of Flint deserve – and have always deserved – access to clean, safe drinking water and property repairs, full stop. While we know that this is not a resolution for all the harms caused to the people of Flint from the water crisis, we celebrate this long-awaited win alongside you. We are committed to our partnership and the work ahead,” Kitaba said.

While the initial deadline for the settlement was set for 2020, Flint residents repeatedly found themselves back in court, with federal judge David M. Lawson in 2024 declaring Flint in contempt of a previous court order requiring the city to hit certain milestones in replacing lead pipes.

However, the state’s final progress report does not mark the end of the city’s obligations, as several hundreds of pipes remain in vacant homes and some residents have declined to have their pipes tested or replaced.

During a celebration in May marking the completion of the program, Kitaba noted that the city is still required to replace all lead lines in the coming years. Flint has also committed to replacing any remaining lead lines this year, with Kitaba encouraging residents with lead lines to call 810-410-1133, or email GetTheLeadOut@cityofflint.com.

The council stressed there is no safe level of lead exposure.

Pastor Allen Overton of Concerned Pastors for Social Action cheered his fellow community members, crediting their work to hold elected leaders accountable as the reason behind Tuesday’s milestone.

“Thanks to the persistence of the people of Flint and our partners, we are finally at the end of the lead pipe replacement project. While this milestone is not all the justice our community deserves, it is a huge achievement,” Overton said.