From out media partners at WOOD TV8...
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — The Flint water crisis has the leaders of other Michigan cities thinking about how to avoid similar problems.
At a Monday meeting, the Kalamazoo City Commission agreed to spend more than $800,000 to replace hundreds of lead water lines in Kalamazoo Township.
In the spring of 2014, Flint switched its water source and that caused lead from the pipes to contaminate the drinking water. That led to elevated lead levels in children.
“Certainly, Flint was a game-changer,” Kalamazoo Public Services Director James Baker said.
Baker said his department identified about 3,000 lead pipes in the service area. The city is on pace to replace up to 450 of them this year. The idea is to switch out the water lines while the streets are dug up for planned road repairs.
Baker said the water in Kalamazoo is safe to drink, even for lines with lead pipes.
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