Looking Back on Water Safety Efforts in Flint

It’s been about a year now since a group of citizens took it upon themselves to help the residents of Flint, Michigan in the aftermath of a crisis.

Flint started making headlines in 2014 when the city began using the Flint River as a water source in order to cut costs. Lack of proper corrosion controls and cleaning efforts resulted in lead contaminating the drinking water, leading to health risks and impacts you’ve read about and the fact that many turned to bottled water for drinking, cooking, and bathing.

Plumbers to the Rescue

In-home water filters were one potential solution, but that proved trickier than expected. Several older faucets were oddly shaped and couldn’t fit a water filter, necessitating a new faucet entirely. Faucets were each about $100, a price which many couldn’t afford.

That’s where local plumbers stepped in to lend a helping hand. In January 2016, more than 300 plumbers from across the state spent their weekend installing filters and faucets in Flint residents’ homes for free. In just one of those days, 800 homes benefited from the great work of these individuals.

The Smallest Kindnesses Go A Long Way

While there can be no doubt that more could have been done to safeguard those affected by the Flint lead crisis, it’s good to know that community members have each other’s backs when things go wrong.

You can count on PeopleService to have your back too. We applaud this community effort to help those in need. We strive to do everything we can to aid the communities we serve and prevent water crises from occurring.