FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Michigan officials say that water samples in Flint are "trending better," but that it's too soon to give the go-ahead to residents to resume drinking unfiltered water.
Residents have been using bottled water and filters because the improperly treated supply was tainted with lead from pipes leading to old homes.
“The short term issue is recoating the pipes and that would be based on third party experts saying the water is safe," Gov. Rick Snyder told reporters Wednesday. "Our goal is to get the water that’s coming out of the tap as safe as possible."
State Department of Environmental Quality Interim Director Keith Creagh stressed Wednesday that the test results are not statistically valid because there's no guarantee homeowner-provided samples are coming from homes at higher risk. Further testing continues.
Creagh says officials are studying whether the city's pipes are being recoated with enough of a lining of phosphates to keep the lead from leaching.
The state is working to identify newer neighborhoods with no lead pipes, so those residents can potentially get the all-clear on their water sooner.
FOX 17s Josh Sidorowicz contributed to this report.
