Flint Crisis Spotlights Lead Service Line & Infrastructure Replacement Needs

While the crisis in Flint, Mich., can be traced to an unfortunate and confounding sequence of human errors, it has also prompted a national discussion about the extent of our nation’s water infrastructure needs. It has placed a particular focus on the challenges involved with replacing the millions of lead service lines that still carry drinking water from the public water system to homes in many U.S. cities.

Since water distribution infrastructure is buried underground, it is often overlooked and taken for granted. Today, because of the Flint crisis, it is at the forefront of a national dialogue on the value of water and the potential public health implications of ignoring needed infrastructure investments — investments that make it possible to deliver safe drinking water from source to tap. Lawmakers and regulators appear increasingly poised to act on these priorities, and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) will continue to work with our nation’s leaders to strengthen our water systems.