Flint's still-unfinished lead tube replacement is a cautionary tale for other cities

Flint, Michigan (AP) – Jeffrey Bell watched as the crew dug up and replaced the neighbor's lead water pipes, hoping that his mother's house would be next. The workers told him that this was not on their list, but could be assigned to another contractor.

With Flint's lead tube replacement program ending this year, Bell and his aged mother worry that the house they shared was forgotten. Betty Bell repeatedly calls the city as she continues to buy bottled drinking water, just like she has been doing for years. Eventually someone called and said the waterline was good – records show that it was checked in 2017. However, the bells are not known yet, which shows residents’ confusion over delays and poor communication processes.

“I have more questions now,” Jeffrey Bell said.

Flint's water crisis has caused national anger and about a decade later, the replacement of the lead water pipe has not been completed. Although the city recently said it did the work required for legal settlement, the agreement did not cover vacant homes and allowed owners to refuse, potentially leaving hundreds of pipes on the ground. The state agreed to oversee the work of the properties and said it was determined to complete it in the fall.

Flint’s lapses offer courses for municipalities, which face recently implemented federal tasks to replace their own prospective customer service lines. The Trump administration is expected to tell the federal appeals court soon if it will take on the task.

“I don’t think other cities are racing like Flint,” said Margie Kelly, spokesman for the Environmental Nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Commission, which reached a settlement with the city to force it to replace lead pipes.

Flint staggers

The Flint crisis began its campaign in 2014, when the state-appointed emergency manager ended his contract with Detroit's water system and turned to the Flint River to save money. But the state does not need treatment to prevent corrosion that causes seepage into the water.

Finally, high levels of lead were found in drinking water and in children's blood. The outbreak of Legion disease is also related to the city's water, and in part, it is also related to the city's water.

In 2017, Flint reached a settlement requiring it to replace all lead tubes for free and repair the excavation codes for free within three years. At the NRDC's insistence, first pointing funds to houses with known lead lines means workers cannot systematically address the community. Discovering these houses proved challenging because many of the records were missing or inaccurate – some were handwritten in letters from the early 1900s.

“The city's overall management of the program is ineffective” and it may have better coordinated its work geographically,” said Sarah Tallman, an attorney for the NRDC.

This has stalled the plan and eventually the city has to inspect every pipeline. Covid-19 has also slowed down work.

Kenneth Miller, director of Flint Public Works, hired last year, said the city had no idea how many homeowners chose lead pipe replacement bench pipes or how much property they lost as contractors traveled.

“Like any other organization, people get slack, people stop doing things, people get fired, and people who used to do it no longer do it,” he said.

As the city did not keep accurate repair records, the judge ordered officials to visually inspect thousands of excavated properties.

The contractor sometimes sits for months or years. She said Danyele Darrough’s lawn was messed up with sidewalks and driveways covered for months. The grass plant applied by workers never grew. Finally, this spring, nearly three years later, she bought a bag of topsoil and seeds to repair her lawn.

“Like, yes, we know; we don't trust them.”

Miller said the city now has strong data management and he advises other communities that address lead lines.

Eric Oswald, director of drinking water for the Michigan Department of Environment, said the steep population loss left thousands of vacant homes, which would require contractors to limit lead lines where they were found.

“The country and the city want to absolutely make sure…we have not forgotten it,” he said.

Trust is the key

EPA Inspector General A general report in Flint, the government has caused major crises at all levels or delayed repairs. The NRDC said the scandal damaged trust in the government – nearly 700 Flint homeowners refused lead pipe replacement.

Flint finally passed an ordinance last year to prevent homeowners from opting out.

“Unless you have to do something, it's hard to cross the finish line,” Oswald said. Benton Harbour, across the state, implemented similar rules early on to help its work go smoothly.

Now, officials are working from a list of more than 4,000 properties, and there may be a lead line if needed, send letters and visit the home in person (if needed). Miller said he hopes the outreach will show that customer service is a priority now, but it will take some time to rebuild trust.

Some people also distrust the Environmental Protection Agency, which filed a long-term Flint Water emergency order in May. The agency said that after years of testing showed a sharp drop in lead levels, it is now safe to drink from TAP.

“We don’t know what to believe,” resident Aonie Gilcreast said at a recent community gathering. “We don’t trust the system,” because officials said, “and again and again…everything is good.”

When other towns start replacing their own lead pipes (about 9 million lead pipes in the United States), experts say one thing should be the most important thing: digging them is not only a construction effort, but also testing community trust.

To replace the route that connects the water owner on the street to the house, workers usually have to dig in the street and yard and enter the house. When residents trust local governments, they prefer to grant that access.

“Like everything else, like everything else, it's impossible for people to worry about the first time they hear the water supply,” said Greg Keail, spokesperson for the U.S. Waterworks Association. Instead, it's important for utilities to engage with residents what they plan to do and to attract trusted community groups in their efforts.

Newark rushes forward

Newark, Newark, avoided Flint's trap in the face of its own potential client crisis.

In 2019, after revealing higher levels and available funds, the city said the city would not need to replace more than 20,000 lead pipes to residents and complete them within three years. But soon a challenge emerged: Newark had a lot of tenants who couldn’t approve the job.

“We can't get into the house. We can't find the owner,” said Kareem Seemem, director of water and sewer in Newark. “They aren't there. They're not interested in caring for lead service lines.”

Therefore, New York City passed an ordinance that mandatory removal of lead pipes and allows renters to approve the work.

The contractor then quickly travels through the city through the neighborhoods – a lesson learned from Flint.

For the most stubborn reservation, officials told them when they would start replacing jobs and said they would shut down the water until residents allowed them to finish it. Threat is enough. Reverently, they never really shut down anyone's water.

Sometimes people recognize their love from TV and he can start a conversation – the crack of residents' determination to refuse. He also works with trustworthy community groups.

And make sure of the decision to clean up the person's property later? The contractor will not make a full payment until the work is completed and any losses are repaired.

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