Fixing Flint's contaminated water system could cost $216m, report says
Source: The Guardian
Fixing Flint's contaminated water system could cost $216m, report says
A bruising litany of infrastructure repairs would happen over the next
several decades – with $80m needed to remove about 10,000 lead pipes
across the city
Ryan Felton in Detroit
Monday 6 June 2016 18.24 BST
The projected cost to repair infrastructure after the city of Flint, Michigan’s two-year water contamination crisis is several magnitudes higher than what has been allocated to fix it, a new state report has found.
The report lays out a bruising litany of infrastructure fixes to the city’s water system over the next several decades at an estimated cost of at least $216m. The report suggests $80m is needed to remove about 10,000 lead pipes across the city – more than three times what Michigan governor Rick Snyder has proposed for a forthcoming state budget.
The report from Flint-based engineering firm Rowe Professional Services calls for the widely supported removal of lead pipes in the city to be completed in eight years. The city’s mayor, Karen Weaver, has estimated $55m is needed to remove the pipes, and as many as 500 could be removed during an initial phase launched with $2m from the state.
“If services are replaced at an average rate of at least 2,000 annually, eight years may be required to complete the replacement program,” the report stated.
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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/06/flint-water-crisis-lead-pipes-infrastructure-cost