Lead Pipe Timeline Splits Gov. Snyder, Flint Mayor
FLINT (WWJ/AP) - Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder says it will take an engineering firm a month to identify lead pipes connected to Flint residents' homes, but he wants to see a "very short timeline" for some of the service lines to begin being replaced.
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver, meanwhile, said Wednesday that she intends to begin replacing pipes next week and lawmakers should quickly OK funding proposed last week by Snyder. Flint is under a state of emergency because corrosive water was allowed to leach lead from pipes into the supply.
A new state report shows hundreds of homes in Flint still have high lead levels. The latest tests show more than 700 homes with lead levels exceeding federal safety standards. Nearly ten thousand homes have been tested since last September.
Snyder, who declined to say pipe replacement should begin next week, cautions that taking out pipes too quickly could have unintended consequences.
He said, however, the state is ready to take the "next steps to identify and replace high-risk, high-priority pipes" in the city.
"I don't know if I'd want to say next week or not, but we're talking a very short timeline to start having some pipes replaced in the community, in terms of looking at that and the best way to do it," the governor said.
"The common goal here should be how to get, you know, this issue addressed to help the citizen of Flint, both in terms of water supply, medical care, educational support and then longterm economic development," Snyder said.
A state legislative committee, earlier today, approved a $30 million spending bill to help cover the water bills of Flint residents, where much of the city's supply has been contaminated by lead. The bill, backed by Snyder, only covers two-thirds of the water portion of people's water/sewer bills.
Rowe Professional Services was hired Tuesday to conduct a $500,000 study, including locating thousands of lead lines running from water mains to homes and businesses.
Snyder says officials do not know the composition of 10,000 service lines still.
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