A new public lab now open in Flint offers free water testing for residents and real-world science training for students.
The McKenzie Patrice Croom Water Lab at the Flint Development Center aims to test the water quality of 21,000 households over the next three years.
High school students will go door to door to collect tap water samples and make personal connections.
College students will analyze the water for lead content.
The center’s Michael Harris says the lab began with a 2018 pilot program that brought together young people from many backgrounds.
“Some people said it couldn’t be done, but it’s here,” Harris proclaimed. “It’s now and it’s for you. It’s for everybody in the Flint community and beyond. And we want to be the template for everybody else to understand what’s going on here.”
The lab is supported by the city of Flint as well as a number of commercial industries and foundations in the area.
Jill Ryan is the executive director of Freshwater Future, a nonprofit clean water advocacy group.
She says the lab is built on the earned trust of the community.
“Earned because you can see from your individual water test results what is happening in your home at your tap,” Ryan says. “Individual homes have to be safe and secure and have access to clean, trusted water.”
The state of Michigan reports Flint’s drinking water lead level is currently six parts per billion, below the federal standard of 15 parts per billion.
To date, nearly 9,800 lead service lines have been replaced in the city.
