Will Flint residents ever trust their water again?

FLINT, Mich. (WNEM) - On the same day Virginia Tech Professor Marc Edwards told the people of Flint their water was safe to drink again, he acknowledged his announcement would be hard to swallow.

For many, the crisis may be over in their pipes, but no amount of corrosion control can fix the damage done to their trust.

Leon Jackson has some serious doubts on whether his water will ever be truly safe. Since the water crisis began, his family has dealt with a slew of health issues.

“Some of their skins was peeling on one of my sons, even my daughters. They were itching. It’s just not safe,” Jackson said.

Jackson said he doesn’t buy the recent testing results released by Edwards, which show Flint’s tap water meets all federal standards.

However, even with that said, Edwards advised people to drink from a filter -- a recommendation that remains in place by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Mayor Karen Weaver continues to tell people to use bottled water and filtered water as well. She said she’ll be ready to tell people to drink straight from the tap when each lead service line has been ripped out of the ground.

It’s something that could take more than three years.

“That’s when we want to see good test results for a sustained amount of time. I think what I would like to do as far as what is that period of time is to have the public chief advisory and people from the medical field and scientific community tell us how long we need that in place after the service lines are replaced,” Weaver said.

As for Jackson, he said he may not be around to see the true end of the water crisis.

“I’m contemplating moving south. I just haven’t found the right place. Maybe Kentucky,” he said.

Out of the estimated 15,000 to 25,000 bad pipes, nearly 4,000 have been replaced so far.