The City of Flint and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) have worked to develop a new administrative consent order (ACO) that continues and updates the work of the voluntary agreement that has been in place between the City of Flint and EGLE since December 17, 2018. The City of Flint has met many agreed upon water infrastructure milestones and this new agreement is the first step in the process of the EPA withdrawing its emergency order.
No new violations are identified in this order. Flint’s water continues to meet all state and federal standards for water quality, as it has since 2016. Weekly water quality monitoring results are available through the State of Michigan’s website.
The updated draft administrative consent order outlines how the City of Flint will continue working to upgrade its water infrastructure to meet the needs identified by EGLE in August 2017. The ACO allows the City of Flint to have a voice in the legal process. The City administration appreciates the opportunity to consult with EGLE to ensure that the City’s water infrastructure meets all regulations, and to plan for future water infrastructure needs.
The administrative consent order is currently under review by the Flint City Council and is set to become public when it is approved by the council and signed by the mayor. Legal negotiations are not normally open to public comment. However, in response to requests for transparency and collaboration from the Water System Advisory Council and Flint residents, the City of Flint and EGLE are making this agreement public before it is approved by the city council.
“We agree with Flint residents who have expressed the need for transparency around the City of Flint’s water infrastructure,” City Administrator Clyde Edwards said. “The fractured public trust in local government created by the Flint Water Crisis may take generations to mend, but our goal is transparency and trustworthiness in all aspects of public service. We are listening and we are taking action with the goal of restoring trust and collaboration with community members.”
“Flint’s drinking water system has seen tremendous improvements over the past several years, but there is still work to be done to ensure healthy, reliable water for generations of Flint residents,” said Eric Oswald, director of EGLE’s Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division. “This agreement highlights expectations for that work into one document, provides public transparency, and ensures that all parties share the same expectations. We are eager to move forward with the work and look forward to City Council’s approval of the plan.”
The City of Flint is committed to delivering safe, clean water to Flint residents, and while major investments and upgrades have been made in Flint’s water infrastructure, there is still more work to do. The new draft administrative consent agreement reflects some of this remaining infrastructure work.
The updated ACO outlines plans for implementation of the Cross Connection Control Program; pending completion of the Dort Reservoir and Pump Station upgrades; the Cedar Street Reservoir and Pump Station upgrades scheduled to begin this summer, and the Torrey Rd. Pump Station upgrades.
It also includes plans to replace the Northwest Transmission Main, hire additional staff, implement several new Standard Operating Procedures, and complete demonstrations of Technical, Managerial, and Financial Capacity. Some of this work will extend through 2028, as outlined in the draft agreement.
The City of Flint has worked with EGLE to plan and implement these capacity-building measures since 2019, and the administration looks forward to continued collaboration in these efforts.
Lead service line replacement is not part of the administrative consent agreement with EGLE, although it is a key component of rebuilding Flint’s water infrastructure. The City of Flint is committed to getting the lead out at every address.
The City of Flint has completed 29,747 water service line excavations and identifications, including 10,522 service line replacements. The City of Flint has visited over 31,000 addresses to attempt to obtain consent for lead service line replacement. We encourage any Flint residents who have not yet had their service lines checked to call 810-410-1133 to sign up. Residents can also call the Mayor’s Office at 810-766-7346.
