Judge sets Aug. 1 as deadline for Flint’s lead pipe project

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A judge has ordered Flint, Michigan, to replace any remaining lead or steel water lines by Aug. 1. It’s the latest intervention after a series of missed deadlines. Federal Judge David Lawson signed off on an agreement between the city and the Natural Resources Defense Council. The group represents residents in litigation that began in 2016. For 18 months, until fall 2015, Flint was pulling water from the Flint River without treating it to prevent corrosion inside old pipes. Lead contaminated the system as a result. More than 10,000 pipes have been replaced, though at least 1,000 addresses still haven’t been inspected, according to the NRDC. Flint points to the COVID-19 pandemic and a shortage of copper pipe and other materials.