City of Flint lifts boil water advisory after transmission line break

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Flint, Michigan, lifted a three-day boil-water advisory Monday following the discovery last week of a break in a 24-inch transmission line.

The advisory was lifted at 10:45 a.m. following two consecutive 24-hour testing rounds for bacteria, according to a news release from officials in the city of 80,000, whose water was famously tainted with lead nearly a decade ago.

Additional testing was being done on the repaired transmission main. That line now is isolated from the rest of the water system and will remain out of service until two rounds of testing for that area have been completed.

The advisory was announced late Friday morning, and residents and businesses were asked to boil water before using it for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth or washing dishes.

City crews also have been flushing water mains around the city, which officials said could cause discoloration. Water customers should flush their plumbing, clean faucet aerators and change water filter cartridges, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

“I want to thank residents for their patience over the weekend as we took precautions and completed mandated testing to protect public health and safety,” Mayor Sheldon Neeley said. “We will continue to aggressively pursue funding and resources to renovate our water infrastructure.”

Flint’s water became tainted with lead in 2014 after officials started using the Flint River to save money while a new pipeline to Lake Huron was built. The water wasn’t treated to reduce its corrosive qualities, causing lead to break off from old pipes and contaminate the system for more than a year.

Flint is 68 miles (109 km) northwest of Detroit.

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