Flint hoping to build trust with residents after water crisis

FLINT, Mich. (WNEM) - Flint city leaders are looking to regain the trust of the public as we near the 10-year anniversary of the Flint Water Crisis.

The crisis piped lead-laced water into homes all across the city, leading to a multi-year project to replace the lead service lines.

TV5′s Zain Omair took a tour at the Flint Water Distribution Center on Wednesday, April 24 with other residents and Mayor Sheldon Neeley.

Neeley said hundreds of millions of dollars have gone into upgrades, especially over the past five years, and letting residents into the facility is one of the first steps to rebuilding trust.

“We know what happened in the past. A tragic, man-made crisis. We’re moving forward as it relates to making sure the quality of water and the resiliency of our system,” the mayor said.

On the 10-year anniversary, the city of Flint is opening the doors to the water treatment plant, inviting residents in for a tour to see how they get their water.

“Hopefully we can overcome the residents’ fear of drinking our water,” said 4th ward Councilwoman Judy Priestly.

Since the water crisis, the city said they’ve significantly upgraded Flint’s water infrastructure.

Now, treated water is purchased from Lake Huron, meaning the water plant no longer treats raw water as it once did. Instead, new technology has been implemented there, preparing the water from the Great Lakes Water Authority and a backup line from Genesee County.

“More than $146 million of investment has went into our whole structure here in the city of Flint; $146 [million] plus, so a lot of those invested dollars are here about the way that we receive water, treat water, and distribute water inside the city of Flint,” Neeley said.

There’s also a newly renovated Dort Reservoir, which gets the water to homes and businesses, and a new high-tech chemical feed building to make sure the water meets the needs of Flint’s water distribution system so it’s safe to use.

“We have a lab here that works year-round, every day, Monday through Friday. They actually go out in the system, and they pull samples throughout the system. We have 25 sites throughout the whole city of Flint; they hit one of them sites once a week,” said Scott Dungee, water plant supervisor.

And while a lot of improvements have been made to ensure the water is safe, recovery from the crisis continues.

“More than 10,000 lead service lines have been replaced. More than 32,000 sight visits to be able to take a look at either restoration projects or looking at what needs to be done for those households. We have made a tremendous level of progress, but we still have more to do,” Neeley said.

If you missed the tour on Wednesday, there will be another one Thursday afternoon from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the water plant on Dort Highway.

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