Water tower sends message of Flint community’s strength

Flint’s water tower has a new coat of blue paint and the words “Flint Strong” facing I-475—a message of hope for the Flint community and a statement of progress for the world, Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley says.

“As a Flint resident, I am committed to clean water as a human right, and I am also committed to unifying our community,” Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley said. “The words ‘Flint Strong’ became a rallying crying during the Flint Water Crisis, as residents came together to advocate for our human right to water. We put the words ‘Flint Strong’ on the water tower as a message of hope. We want the world to know that Flint is a strong community. Both residents and city officials continue to fight every day to ensure that Flint has safe drinking water.”

The City of Flint took the Flint Water Tower offline on May 31 for upgrades and maintenance. Now, renovations to the Flint Water Tower are wrapping up, and the process of putting the tower back into service should be completed in early August. The City of Flint will conduct testing to ensure that the water tower is clean and safe for use before it is reconnected to the water system.

The interior of the elevated tank has been cleaned and repainted, tank hatches have been upgraded, and nine steel roof support beams have been replaced. A 12-inch drain and an 8-inch overflow pipe have been completely renovated and a new catch basin has been added. New mixers are ready to be installed in the roof after the elevated tower is back in service.

After the water tower’s painting is completed, it will need to cure for seven days. Testing will be conducted to ensure cleanliness and safety, and when the results are clear, the City of Flint will start the process of chlorinating the elevated tower. The City of Flint will notify residents using Alert Flint when the tower is back in service.

“The Flint Water Tower upgrades are the most recent in a long list of water infrastructure projects that have been initiated and completed in the last four years,” Mayor Neeley said. “We will continue to work with Flint residents to build both a resilient water system and the community’s confidence in our water quality.”