Flint Receives Part of $140 Million Loan for Water Improvements

4/18/2019

(UC) – The city of Flint received over $77 million in funding this week that was originally promised in 2017 after 12 residents died from drinking lead-tainted water five years ago.

The loan comes as part of a larger $140 million water and sewer infrastructure funding program across three Michigan cities, but Flint’s portion comes from a $100 million Federal loan allocated from the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nations Act of 2016. The city intends to use the money to complete a secondary water source pipeline and update a reservoir station and pumps, among other work.

While this funding will certainly help, Flint Department of Public Works Director Rob Bincsik warns there is still a lot of work to be done.

“These projects will help the short- and long-term sustainability of the water system in the city of Flint,” Bincsik said. “But as stated in the Water Distribution Optimization Plan, the water system needs in excess of another $300 million in capital improvements over the next 20 years.”