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One year after declaration, Flint residents still skeptical amidst pipe replacement

Flint water tower
Ben Gordon
/
flickr/Creative Commons
One year after Gov. Snyder's emergency declaration, many in Flint are still wary of their water supply

On January 5, 2016 -- one year ago -- Governor Rick Snyder formally declared a state of emergency in Flint.  Residents who’d been bathing in and drinking the tap water, of course, knew they had an emergency on their hands long before then. 

The lead contamination that resulted from the city’s switch from the Detroit water system to the Flint River still reverberates physically – and politically. 

Plumbers and pipefitters have been at the forefront of the effort to repair Flint’s tainted water system.  WKAR’s Kevin Lavery spoke with Ben Ranger with UA Local 370 in Flint about the work that’s taken place in the last year...and the perspective of the people they came to help.

Kevin Lavery served as a general assignment reporter and occasional local host for Morning Edition and All Things Considered before retiring in 2023.
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