Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said the city is planning to remove and replace the first lead pipe next week, according to a release by the mayor's office.
According to Weaver, she is working with water infrastructure experts from the Lansing board of Water & Light to train workers on lead pipe removal. That will take place at a vacant property in Flint owned by the Genesee County Land Bank.
House-by-house lead service line removal and replacement will target high-risk households across the city.
During the training exercise, BWL will "demonstrate it innovate technology for removing and replacing lead pipe with new copper pipes in half the time at half the cost."
According to the mayor's office, Weaver appreciates Gov. Snyder's change of heart on moving quickly to replace lead pipes, but she will not agree to allow Snyder's engineering firm and contractors do the work.
