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No Going Back: Flint EM says city will not reconnect with Detroit water

Steve Carmody
/
Michigan Radio

Flint's emergency manager says he will not approve a return to Detroit's water system, even though the city's switch to using water from the Flint River has been rife with problems.

Flint ditched its water contract with Detroit, and began using water from the Flint River instead this spring.  Complaints surfaced early on about the water's taste. 

Then the city received a violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act because of high levels of chemicals in the water.  But Emergency Manager Darnell Early says the city can't afford to go back to Detroit. 

Instead, Flint will hire outside water treatment experts.  Long-term, the city will use water from a new pipeline to Lake Huron.   The project is slated to finish next year.

Tracy Samilton covers energy and transportation, including the auto industry and the business response to climate change for Michigan Public. She began her career at Michigan Public as an intern, where she was promptly “bitten by the radio bug,” and never recovered.
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