Flint, Michigan – November 05, 2015 – The City of Flint’s Department of Public Works (DPW) has received approval from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) for its plan to introduce additional corrosion control agents to water it buys from Detroit. It is expected that the additional corrosion control agents will further reduce the damage caused to water mains and service lines by water corrosion. While using the Flint River as a water source, the City was not required to use corrosion control as part of its Water Optimization Plan. That decision led to accelerated damage to underground pipes due to the corrosiveness of Flint River water.
“We are trying to reverse the effects of the more corrosive river water and better protect our underground infrastructure from deteriorating, and in turn protect our families and our children from exposure to metals such as lead and copper,” said DPW Director Howard Croft. Older houses built before 1986 have the likelihood of having plumbing and services lines containing lead and copper.
Last month Flint resumed buying treated water from Detroit after it was learned that elevated levels of lead had been found in children living in the City. Flint also worked with local aid agencies to provide water tap mounted filters to every water customer in the City. Tests on water hardness throughout the City have confirmed that Detroit water has made its way to every customer.
