The state of Michigan will pay $87 million so that Flint, Mich., can replace 18,000 lead pipes by 2020 to end the water crisis in that city that is preventing 100,000 people from drinking their tap water.
The Detroit Free Press reported that the deal is a part of a settlement of a federal court case brought by multiple local groups and a Flint resident against the state. The settlement will allow city residents to stop using bottled water and water filters in order to drink water and take showers in their homes.
A federal judge is expected to approve the deal at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
Flint residents have not been able to drink their tap water since April 2014 when the city government, which then was controlled by the state, switched water sources from Lake Huron to the Flint River in an effort to save money.
The river was so polluted and corrosive that it caused lead pipes leading to residents’ homes to deteriorate, contaminating the drinking water in the city. The state was placed under federal and state states of emergency. The federal state of emergency lifted in August, though some federal agencies remain in the city.
While water quality has been improving, Flint residents still are mostly using bottled water and water filters provided by the state and federal governments because only a few lead pipes have been removed.
