Flint, Michigan under advisory after major water main break

Once again, residents of Flint, Michigan found themselves in a water crisis after the city announced a boil water advisory following a major water main break.

The city announced the water boil advisory for drinking and cooking on Friday morning after a 24-inch water transmission line failed causing water pressure to drop to unsafe levels.

On Saturday the crew isolated and began repairs on the transmission line. The city said that the boil water advisory will likely remain in effect through Monday while crews flush water mains and test the water for bacteria, per state guidelines.

The cause of the break has not been identified, however city officials said the reservoir and pump station that failed were scheduled to be renovated later this year.

“As the City of Flint continues to upgrade our water infrastructure, we need to keep in mind that the integrity of our infrastructure is uneven,” Department of Public Works Director Mike Brown said in a statement. “Some of it is state of the art, and some of it is very old. We continue to aggressively pursue funding and resources to upgrade our water infrastructure.”

Officials urged residents to use bottled water or a lead-reducing water filter once the supply is clear of bacteria. 

The boil water advisory comes just one month after the city ended its program offering free bottled water to residents, according to ABC News.

Flint faced a years-long water crisis beginning in 2014 when water contaminated with lead was pumped into the homes of nearly 100,000 city residents after state officials switched the city’s water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River in a cost-cutting move.

The contaminated water sickened residents and was also blamed for an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that infected at least 90 people and killed 12 in Genesee County.

A study from the University of Michigan found that children in Flint were exposed to triple the lead compared to children 10 years earlier, ABC reported. 

In November 2021, a federal judge approved a $626 million settlement of a lawsuit filed by city residents in connection with the disaster.

In December, a Michigan judge this week tossed the case against former Gov. Rick Snyder, who was facing two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duty for his alleged role in the tragedy,