Mayor Weaver Issues Statement Four Years After Emergency Manager Switched Water Source to Flint River

April 25, 2018 (Flint, MI) – Flint Residents gathered at Flint City Hall Wednesday and Mayor Karen Weaver issued the following statement today, now four years since a state appointed emergency manager made the decision to switch the City of Flint’s water source to the Flint River, without ensuring the water plant was ready and necessary corrosion control measures were in place. A decision that resulted in lead, from lead water service lines, being leeched into the City’s drinking water:

“Flint residents say we have been dealing with the effects of this man-made water disaster for too long, and I agree. The first year and a half was wasted, because leaders in place at the time refused to listen to residents’ concerns. However, I am glad that some progress has been made. We are back to receiving our water from the Great Lakes Water Authority and the water quality has improved. In addition, we have replaced nearly 6,300 lead-tainted pipes and identified that thousands more are made of copper and not lead.

But is the crisis over, no it is not. Not when in-home plumbing and residents’ water heaters have been damaged through no fault of their own, and nothing has been done to help them fix it. And not when the medical community and environmental experts tell us we still need to be on filtered water because of the ongoing work to complete the pipe replacement program.

I understand why residents are upset. Because we are still dealing with this problem, and the leaders who made the decisions that got us here have basically walked away.