Flint, Michigan – In response to a request by the City of Flint, the State of Michigan on Wednesday submitted a legal motion to help the city by overseeing and financing the restoration of yards and roads at approximately 1,848 homes. These homes had previously undergone lead service line excavation and replacement as part of the settlement agreement with NRDC/Concerned Pastors.
From a total of $97 million allocated by the State for Flint’s lead service line projects, including excavation, replacement, and subsequent restoration, nearly all the funds have been used, with about $1.1 to $1.2 million remaining. An additional $4,620,000 is needed to complete the restoration efforts outlined in the settlement, not counting extra costs for project management.
To expedite the resumption of work within this construction season, the City of Flint plans to hand over its engineering and construction contracts to the State of Michigan. This transfer will enable the State to allocate additional funding necessary to finish the required restoration work. According to the modified settlement agreement from the Concerned Pastors lawsuit, the City of Flint is obligated to ensure these restorations are completed at locations where service lines were excavated.
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“We are grateful for the State of Michigan’s partnership as we work to fulfill the City of Flint’s commitments to Flint residents,” Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley said. “This is an important step in meeting the terms of the settlement agreement that has governed lead service line replacement in Flint since 2017. We are committed to getting the lead out at every home and we are continuing to seek funding to replace additional lead service lines beyond the terms of the settlement agreement.”
The motion filed by the State of Michigan is aiming to finish restoration work at 1,848 properties as swiftly as possible, but with a deadline of no later than August 1, 2025. Just last week, the City of Flint finished working on the lead service lines at about 30 properties as required by the NRDC/Concerned Pastors Settlement Agreement. Now, Flint is collaborating with the State to make sure all required restorations under the agreement are completed on time.
To date, the City of Flint has conducted 29,777 water service line excavations and inspections. This includes replacing 10,529 lead service lines, while the rest, being copper, did not require replacement.