Residents Should Be Drinking Water from Flint River by Mid-April

Flint residents could be drinking water from the Flint River as soon as mid-April according to MLive. Officials made the comments at a ceremonial groundbreaking that was held at the Flint Water Treatment Plant on Wednesday afternoon.

Flint had been purchasing water from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department for nearly 50 years, but that contract was terminated when the city signed on to purchase water from the Karegnondi Water Authority. The KWA is expected to bring water to Flint and Genesee County by the end of 2016 when construction of the pipeline from Lake Huron is complete.

The Flint Water Treatment Plant had been being used as a backup water supply to Flint and Genesee County. It will go from being used four times per year (under state law) to year-round. MLive says that six more employees will be hired at the plant in the next few weeks bringing the total of employees to 26. Work will also take place over the next two weeks on upgrading the electrical system which dates to the 1950s. The City of Flint has spent around $4 million over the past eight months to upgrades at the plant in preparation.