Michigan’s governor says it’s going to take time to win back the trust of Flint residents, who were lied to during the city’s water crisis.
Five years after the ill-fated switch of Flint’s drinking water source, the city’s residents remain wary of the water flowing from their taps and politicians who claim it’s safe to drink.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) was in Flint Thursday to take part in a neighborhood cleanup project.
She said once trust is lost it’s hard to rebuild.
“You can’t remedy a broken trust like this with words. You have to show up,” said Whitmer. “It’s going to take time.”
The city of Flint hopes to finish inspecting and replacing service lines connecting homes to city water mains by the end of July. Lead and galvanized pipes were a primary source of lead in Flint’s drinking water during the crisis. But even after their service lines were replaced, many Flint residents still don’t trust their tap water is safe to drink.
Meanwhile, other programs will continue to address educational andhealth issues created by Flint’s water crisis.
