State Awards Flint $2 Million in Grants for Water System Improvements

On Tuesday, Governor Snyder awarded Flint $2 million in grants to go towards improvements to the city's water system infrastructure.

According to a news release from the governor's office, the grants are part of an overall $8 million plan to help municipalities through the Financially Distressed Cities, Villages and Townships Program.

In the release, Snyder said "there are opportunities for state government to assist Flint city leaders as they address issues related to the city's water system. These grants will help recovering cities improve public services and infrastructure, improving the quality of life for all residents."

The grants were announced at Haskell Community Center in Flint. Representatives from the state's Office of Urban Initiatives and the state Tresury Department were on hand, along with Flint Mayor Dayne Walling, Emergency Manager Jerry Ambrose and state Representative Sheldon Neeley.

Of the $2 million in grants, $900,000 will go toward the hiring of a contractor to perform a leak detection survey of the city water lines. The city will then receive a map of the leak locations allowing prioritization of repairs. The remaining $1.1 million will go towards shutting down the Water Pollution Control Facility incinerator and replace it with new facilities that will allow for disposal of waste in landfills.

Walling said he appreciates the state support. "This announcement comes at the perfect time for Flint as we continue with repairs and upgrades to our water service infrastructure that are in accordance with our new Capital Improvement Plan." He added the state funding "will allow us to move forward with two projects that will mean long term cost savings" for the city.