Michigan Giving $7,500 To Flint Homeowners For Water Pipe Replacement

Michigan has promised money to Flint homeowners that have lead levels higher than federal standards.

The federal drinking water guidelines for lead are 15 parts per billion, and during the height of the Flint Water Crisis, many homes were way above that.

With all of the pipe replacement and improvements that have happened since the crisis was made public, a majority of the homes test below the federal level. There are still homes in the city though that have outdated plumbing and fixtures that only increase the problems.

Those homes are the target of the this new initiative put forward by the MDEQ, Genesee County Habitat for Humanity, and United Way of Genesee County.

If you would like to see if your home is eligible for the $7,500 you will have to take some initiative. The first step is going to Flint City Hall to get a free water testing kit. If your test shows elevated lead levels, then the city will do another test. If they get the same results, then a licensed plumber will be brought in to replace the plumbing in the home.

This seems like a lengthy process to fix a problem that the MDEQ is partially responsible for causing, but at least it's happening.

A lingering problem with the Flint Water Crisis is trust. Flint residents do not trust officials when it comes to the water quality, and who can blame them?

After the initial lies, then the band-aid of bottled water (which was eventually taken away) and now the questions of where the Flint Water Crisis money has gone?!

I don't think trust will be restored any time soon, and I don't know that making people jump through so many hoops is helping much either.