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Flint residents urged to have water tested for lead levels

Posted at 1:11 PM, Jan 31, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-31 13:11:03-05
FLINT, MI - JANUARY 23: The City of Flint Water Plant is illuminated by moonlight on January 23, 2016 in Flint, Michigan. A federal state of emergency has been declared in Flint due to dangerous levels of contamination in the water supply. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

FLINT, MI – JANUARY 23: The City of Flint Water Plant is illuminated by moonlight on January 23, 2016 in Flint, Michigan. A federal state of emergency has been declared in Flint due to dangerous levels of contamination in the water supply. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — State officials continue to urge Flint residents to have their tap water tested in an effort to monitor lead levels.

Water samples must be taken with at-home testing kits provided by the state and dropped off at five Flint firehouses that also are operating as water resource sites.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality lab is operating seven days per week and can process 1,000 tests each day. Test results are mailed to homes and are available online.

The Flint Journal reports that about 300 unionized plumbers began installing donated faucets Saturday in some Flint homes.

Flint switched in 2014 to the Flint River from Detroit’s water system to save money. The river water was not treated properly and lead from pipes leached into Flint homes.