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Flint hosts three-day national conference on water and infrastructure

Posted at 5:24 PM, Mar 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-07 18:42:51-05

The city that focused the world’s attention on safe drinking water is now hosting people from across the nation and some foreign countries to think and talk about water and infrastructure. 

But Flint officials say they are still at least two years away from declaring an all clear that the water is safe to drink because underground lead services lines still need to be replaced.

So far, 800 lines have been replaced. Flint has some 20,000. 

Flint has gotten $100 million in federal grants and $25 million in state grants. City officials say that will only cover 2017 and part of 2018.

Flint residents are still using filters and bottled water going on three years.

Detroit Water and Sewerage officials are also here. 

Director Gary Brown tells 7 Investigator Jim Kiertzner his city has some 150,000 lead service lines. They make replacements as they repair broken water mains, but replacing all will take more than ten years and help from the state and feds.