"The city of Flint has been found in civil contempt by a federal judge for its handling of its lead pipe replacement program.

Flint started ramping up its pipe replacement program in the wake of the city’s water crisis. Improperly treated river water used as the city’s drinking water source damaged pipes, releasing lead and other contaminants into Flint’s tap water. Service lines connecting homes and businesses to city water mains were a prime source of lead in the drinking water.

However, checking and excavating the pipes proved to be a slow process. So slow, that local Flint activists and religious leaders filed a lawsuit to force the city to accelerate the work.

As part of a 2017 settlement, the city of Flint was placed under a court order to remove the lead and galvanized pipes by a certain date. But for a variety of reasons, the city repeatedly missed the court’s deadlines."

Steve Carmody reports for Michigan Public March 13, 2024. [2]