Flint Officially Signs On with Karegnondi Water Authority

On Tuesday afternoon, Emergency Manager Ed Kurtz signed a resolution joining the city to the Karegnondi Water Authority. The move ends the decades long relationship in which Detroit provided Flint's water.

According to MLive, Flint Mayor Dayne Walling, who was at the news conference along with other city and Genesee County officials, said "this is going to be a great chance to start over. Flint and Genesee County are best served by joining this pipeline."

The announcement from city officials came after a last ditch effort by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department in which they were allowed to make a final offer to try and retain the city's business.

Kurtz told MLive they "had a hard time finding credibility in either of Detroit's offers."

Genesee County Drain Commissioner Jeff Wright said the project will take up to three years to complete and includes 64 miles of pipeline, an intake in Lake Huron, pumping stations and a county water treatment plant.

Flint will have the opportunity to purchase up to 18 million gallons of water per day.

Construction on the intake is expected to begin next month.