Twelve years after the city's water crisis, Michigan officials announced that Flint has reached its 10th year of safe, healthy lead levels in its drinking water.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) spent the last six months of 2025 analyzing Flint's tap water and found it was in the 90th percentile of the state's strict lead standards. In March 2015, Flint's water tested 25 times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency's "action level." Since 2016, Flint has tested below federal action levels.
In July, the city announced that it had replaced 11,000 lead pipes and restored more than 28,000 affected ones, NBC News reported. EGLE said the city has roughly 500 more lines that need replacement, and work to remove the remaining lines and complete restoration is expected to resume in the spring.
The EPA lifted its emergency order on drinking tap water in Flint last May, after reportedly meeting all requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act emergency order issued in January 2016.
"Lifting the EPA emergency order marks a significant milestone for Flint residents, reaffirming their access to safe, reliable drinking water," EPA Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel said. "This achievement reflects the dedicated efforts of the city of Flint, the state of Michigan, and the EPA in addressing the lead crisis. With Flint's water system in compliance with lead standards, residents can trust in the quality of their water supply."
Residents still aren't confident
Despite the positive test results, some residents still do not trust the city's water without a filter, many because there are people still suffering from the crisis that unfolded in 2014.
An estimated 9,000 Flint children who experienced high blood lead levels have since been diagnosed with learning, behavioral, and health issues. Some research found that the number of children in Flint schools who now qualify for disability services has climbed significantly since the crisis.
"Flint is not fixed," Flint resident Melissa Mays told CNN. Mays, an advocate for safe drinking water, said she has been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease, autoimmune disorders, and seizures since drinking the lead water. "We are not going to shut up and go away. Fix us properly because it's the right thing to do."
What was the Flint water crisis?
In April 2014, Flint changed its municipal water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River to save money while awaiting a new water pipeline. The Flint River's water was fine, but officials failed to treat it with corrosion-control chemicals, which caused lead to leach from aging pipes.
Despite residents sounding alarms about the smell and color of the new water within a month of the change, it took until August — when diseases like E. coli and coliform bacteria were detected — before officials finally advised residents to boil their water before drinking or using it.
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$200 or more 💰 Throughout 2015, tests showed that lead levels were extremely high in Flint's water, and pediatric doctors began to notice elevated lead levels in children. One study found that by September, 40% of residential homes had dangerous lead levels.
Flint did not switch back to its Detroit water supply until October 2015, but the water quality issues persisted.
In December 2015, 20 months after residents reported that something was very wrong with the water, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver declared a state of emergency due to elevated lead levels. Then-President Barack Obama called for FEMA to act and "provide equipment and resources to the people affected," NPR reported. The EPA issued an emergency order to take over the situation, condemning Flint and Michigan's handling of the situation over the last year.
By the end of 2016, nine former and current state officials faced criminal charges over the lead crisis and violating Michigan's Safe Drinking Water Act. Two companies involved with the city's water treatment plant also faced criminal charges and were accused of failing to do enough to address Flint's lead problem.
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