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State Of Michigan Will Close 5 Of 9 Flint Water Locations Supplying Water, Filters, Testing Kits

FLINT (WWJ) - Michigan will close five of the nine locations where Flint residents have been getting free bottled water, filters, replacement cartridges and testing kits because the city's water quality is improving.

"I understand the concerns, and I've taken them to the governor and let him and other state officials know - that just because the settlement says you can close the pods -- doesn't mean you should close the pods," said Weaver.

Mayor Karen Weaver said that officials will keep the last four water resource sites running "indefinitely."

"We don't want the bottled water and filters to go away -- we want those to continue to be provided," said Weaver. "And the grassroots organizations and residents have joined forces to express their concern about the health and well being of our community."

The other five sites will start closing next month.

Michigan's Department of Natural Resources says that for the second consecutive six-month monitoring period, the water in Flint homes contained levels of lead that didn't exceed the federal safety standard.

The residents in the city of Flint have been using bottled water since the fall of 2014 when Gov. Rick Snyder's administration finally acknowledged that Flint's water system was tainted by lead.

On Tuesday, Michigan State Police officials acknowledged that people from outside the area of Flint appear to be stocking up on free bottled water.

MSP's Capt. Chris Kelenske said more water is being distributed now than ever — a daily average of 21,500 cases in late July.

The city's water was deemed undrinkable after it became contaminated when Flint switched from the Detroit water system to the Flint River as a cost-cutting move. The corrosive water lacked adequate treatment and caused lead to leach from old pipes.

 

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