Flint, Michigan – For years, Flint’s lead service line replacement program was measured one excavation at a time. Now, the city has reached a point once considered far away: the final active lead service line identified under a federal settlement agreement has been replaced.
The milestone means there are no active lead service lines remaining in Flint’s water distribution system, closing a major chapter in one of the largest infrastructure projects in the city’s history.
Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced the completion during a press conference at Flint City Hall on Monday, August 3. He reflected on the years-long effort that sent crews across the city to inspect approximately 31,930 residential and commercial addresses.
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The work required far more than replacing pipes. Crews excavated service connections, identified their materials and determined whether lead or galvanized lines were still carrying water to homes and businesses. When those materials were found, the lines were replaced.
According to figures identified by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, 11,600 service lines were replaced during the project. Another 18,950 excavated connections were found to be copper on both sides, meaning no lead line was present.
An additional 1,380 lines were classified as “cut and capped.” Those connections were permanently disconnected from Flint’s water system because property owners could not be located or did not provide access despite repeated outreach attempts. As a result, those lines are no longer active and cannot deliver water from the city’s distribution network.
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Together, those figures account for all approximately 31,930 addresses where excavation occurred.
The completion of the final active replacement marks the end of the central pipe-removal effort required under the federal agreement, but some visible signs of the work remain. Crews will continue restoring locations disturbed during construction, including areas affected by excavation.
City officials expect that final restoration work to be completed in August.
The project’s conclusion leaves Flint with a significantly changed underground system and a clear numerical record of the work: thousands of lines replaced, hundreds permanently disconnected and nearly 19,000 connections confirmed to be free of lead.
After years of digging, inspections and repeated property outreach, the city has reached a historic finish line, not simply by finding its final active lead service line, but by removing it from service for good.