In reaction to the missed pipe replacement deadline, a lawsuit has been filed against the City of Flint. In a statement released on Tuesday, November 2, Melissa Mays of Flint, one of the lead plaintiffs in the federal drinking water case stated: “The people of Flint won’t tolerate any more broken promises from the City, which is under federal court order to get the lead pipes out of the ground and somehow still can’t get the job done. The City’s mismanagement is adding insult to the injury we’ve endured for years. Flint residents are fighters, and we intend to stop at nothing short of securing safe water for our entire community.”
In response to the lawsuit, the City has tentatively agreed to a new deadline, pending approval from city council.
“The City of Flint did not manage to replace even a single lead pipe this year until September and is unable to tell us which homes and how many lawns, driveways and sidewalks restored from excavation work,” said Pastor Allen Overton with Concerned Pastors for Social Action.
This is unacceptable” Overton added.
Overton is also listed as a plaintiff in the case.
According to the City, more than 27,000 service lines have been inspected and more than 10,000 have been replaced.
Residents who have not had their service lines replaced may still opt-in to do so by logging onto the city of Flint’s website and submitting a request. The link to file the request is https://www.cityofflint.com/get-the-lead-out/.
