FLINT, MI, MARCH 8, 2017 -- In a letter to the EPA this week, Flint mayor Karen Weaver said the city's water crisis could continue for another two years.
Weaver said the Michigan city will not be able to treat its own water for lead and other contaminants until 2019, and pointed to a lengthy construction and testing process for a new water treatment plant to become operational.
"To expedite completion of the project and minimize cost, a design/build project delivery method is proposed," she wrote. "Based on this approach, an August, 2019, completion date is anticipated for the treatment plant improvements."
In 2014, officials switched the city's water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River. The corrosive water, flowing through older lead service lines caused lead to leach into the city's drinking water. While recent tests have shown the water's lead levels to be safe, officials are still asking residents not to cook or drink the water without proper filtration.
