Mayor's Office

6,229 Pipes Now Replaced in Flint through Mayor’s FAST Start Initiative

(December 18, 2017) FLINT, Mich. — Lead-tainted service lines at 5,329 homes have been replaced so far in Phase 4 of Mayor Karen Weaver’s FAST Start initiative. The effort is part of the mayor’s goal to check for, and replace existing, lead-tainted pipes at 6,000 Flint homes in 2017. Mayor Weaver is very pleased that the goal has not only been met, but exceeded.

“I just want to thank the crews for their continued hard work to help get these lead-tainted pipes out of Flint,” said Weaver.

Crews from four area companies are replacing lead and galvanized service lines leading from the street to the water meter in residents’ homes during this fourth phase of FAST Start, extending the mayor’s efforts to restore safe, clean drinking water to Flint residents. Overall, service lines to 6,229 homes have been replaced since FAST Start launched in March 2016.

In addition, crews have identified copper service lines at a total of 1,439 homes which did not need to be replaced. Workers have begun checking the composition of some service lines using hydro excavation. The process allows pipe replacement crews to avoid digging up copper service lines and concentrate just on homes with lead and galvanized pipes. So far, lines at 4,656 homes have been checked.

To be eligible for service line replacements, residents must have an active water account. They also must have signed a consent card giving permission for the work to be done (consent cards are being delivered to residents). In rental homes, both the owner and the tenant must sign consent cards. Residents are urged to sign the consent cards as soon as possible, so crews working in their neighborhood can replace their service line.

This week crews are revisiting homes at addresses they were assigned previously, but for some reason were not able to replace the pipe, hoping to connect with the homeowner. The goal is to have all of Flint’s lead-tainted service lines — nearly 20,000 — replaced by 2020, with around 6,000 pipes replaced (or checked) annually over the next three years.

More information about the FAST Start initiative can be found on the City of Flint website www.cityofflint.com as well as the City of Flint FAST Start Facebook page. Questions about FAST Start may be directed to the FAST Start office by emailing [email protected] or by calling (810) 410-1133.