Flint water

Michigan is set to become the first state in the country to get rid of lead pipes meant to carry drinking water, a result of the enduring legacy of the crisis infamously plaguing the town of Flint. The state’s new measures are the strictest in the country — potentially paving the way for other areas that have suffered from similarly dangerous lead levels to purse policy changes.

Under new regulations established earlier this month and drafted by Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), public water utilities across the state will have to replace around 500,000 lead service lines carrying drinking water. That process, slated to begin in 2021, is projected to take two decades, with the expenses covered by utilities themselves, even if all or part of the line is privately owned.

The regulations go beyond mass-service line replacement. A lower threshold for lead amounts in water will now trigger greater scrutiny of water systems, with such systems also responsible for submitting a complete inventory and their accompanying methodology in the next seven […]