Milestone Reached: Flint Completes Lead Service Line Replacement
LANSING, Mich. — The city of Flint has achieved a significant milestone with the completion of its lead service line replacement project, a crucial step in ensuring safe drinking water for its residents. Governor Gretchen Whitmer, alongside Mayor Sheldon Neeley and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Director Phil Roos, commemorated this achievement.
“Since my first day in office, making sure the people of Flint have safe, reliable drinking water has been a priority,” emphasized Governor Whitmer. “Through strong partnership with the city, the state, and the many teams on the ground, we were able to complete the replacement of all known lead service lines.”
The extensive project concluded with the removal of the last known active lead service line on July 31, 2026. This effort involved replacing approximately 11,600 lines, after inspecting nearly 32,000 properties for lead pipes, at an estimated cost of $140 million.
Mayor Neeley expressed gratitude, saying, “Completing this work took years of steady effort, collaboration, and commitment across our community. I want to thank our partners at the state and more importantly, I want to recognize the people of Flint for their resilience and determination to see this through.”
The completion of the project also involved the replacement of roughly 500 additional lead service lines identified during the final stages of the NRDC/Concerned Pastors Settlement Agreement in July 2025.
EGLE Director Phil Roos noted, “This milestone represents years of coordinated work, and EGLE is proud to have helped the City of Flint reach the completion of all known lead service line replacements. Ensuring safe, reliable drinking water for residents has been central to this effort.”
Flint has now sustained a decade of compliance with state and federal lead standards in drinking water, adhering to the stringent regulations of Michigan’s Lead and Copper Rule (LCR).
During the most recent six-month monitoring period from January 1, 2026, to June 30, 2026, the city recorded a 90th percentile lead concentration of 3 parts per billion (ppb), well below the federal standard of 15 ppb and Michigan’s stricter 12 ppb threshold implemented in 2025.
The monitoring data was derived from samples collected at 61 validated sites, including 29 Tier 1 single-family residences with lead service lines, 19 Tier 2 businesses with lead service lines, and 13 Tier 3 residences with pre-1988 interior copper plumbing with lead solder.
For further details on Flint’s testing results, visit the State’s Flint Water website. Additional statewide testing requirements and results information is available at Mi Lead Safe.
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