It’s been a decade since the Flint water crisis began. Now, Michigan leaders are highlighting their progress in removing lead lines from water systems to prevent a repeat of history.
Since 2019, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department has received more than $85 million from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. EGLE spokesperson Hugh McDiarmid says the funds given to Detroit are part of more than $216 million in grants to invest in safer drinking water statewide.
“They’re going great guns in Detroit,” McDiarmid said. “They’re replacing about 150 a week, and we also wanted to illustrate that there’s a lot going on statewide. Every couple weeks, we announce new grants for water infrastructure improvements in communities large and small, and that includes a lot of lead service line work.”
The funding for Michigan’s water system update includes a $75 million grant from the federal APRA bill. That’s the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed in 2021 in response to the COVID crisis.
Cities across Michigan are replacing lead water service lines, just as Benton Harbor just did. In St. Joseph, the replacements are being done in pieces, year by year.
