As governments still bumble in the response to the Flint water crisis, in which potentially thousands of residents of Flint, Michigan, were exposed to lead after a switch to the Flint River as a drinking water source, help is coming from some unlikely sources. ThinkProgress reports that plumbers from across the country came together this weekend to install filters and new faucets in Flint homes for free:
On Saturday, 300 plumbers from unions across the country descended on Flint to install new faucets and water filters for free.
Many Flint residents needed new faucets because their existing faucets were so old they could not accommodate water filters provided by the state.
The effort was coordinated by the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry, known as the United Association. The fixtures were donated by the Plumbing Manufacturers International.
As ThinkProgress notes, this step is but one of many that needs to be taken. Filters alone can’t protect people from lead exposure, as some homes tested for levels 25 times that of the maximum filtration ability of faucet filters. However, this provides some optimism for a way forward: as the state government whose negligence led to the crisis continues to form committees and wrangle for more funding, local heroes, activists, nonprofits, and citizens across the country are pitching in to take the infrastructure steps to make Flint drinking water safe again.