Flint’s Still-Unfinished Lead Pipe Replacement Serves As Cautionary Tale For Other Cities

FLINT, Mich. — Jeffrey Bell watched as crews dug up and replaced neighbors’ lead water pipes, hoping his mother’s house would be next. Workers told him it wasn’t on their list but probably assigned to another contractor.

With Flint’s lead pipe replacement program winding down this year, Bell and his elderly mother worried the home they share was forgotten. Betty Bell repeatedly called the city while continuing to buy bottled drinking water, as she had for years. Finally someone called to say the water line was fine — records indicate it was checked in 2017. But the Bells hadn’t known that, exemplifying residents’ confusion over a process marred by delays and poor communication.

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

About a decade after Flint’s water crisis caused national outrage, replacement of lead water pipes still isn’t finished. Although the city recently said it completed work required under a legal settlement, the agreement didn’t cover vacant homes and allowed owners to refuse, potentially leaving hundreds of pipes in the ground. The state agreed to oversee work on those properties and says it’s determined to finish by fall."

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