According to an international environmental advocacy organization, Michigan officials have completed the replacement of the majority of Flint's lead water piper, according to The Washington Post.

The state submitted a progress report to a federal court on Tuesday, confirming the replacement of approximately 11,000 lead pipes and the examination of more than 28,000 properties, eight years after Flint officials were ordered to replace the pipes at no cost to residents, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“Thanks to the persistence of the people of Flint and our partners, we are finally at the end of the lead pipe replacement project. While this milestone is not all the justice our community deserves, it is a huge achievement,” said Allen C. Overton, the Flint-born pastor of Christ Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church.

He added: “We would not have reached this day without the work of so many Flint residents who worked to hold our leaders accountable. I have never been prouder to be a member of the Flint community.”

Approximately 4,000 Flint houses still require pipe removal, according to the state's progress report.  The homes were either abandoned or belonged to residents who refused to have them replaced under the historic 2017 settlement. Residents who still require lead pipe removal should call 810-410-1133 or email GetTheLeadOut@cityofflint.com.

 A state official stated that all lead service lines would be removed later this year.

“Residents of Flint deserve – and have always deserved – access to clean, safe drinking water and property repairs, full stop,” Bonsitu Kitaba, interim legal director for the ACLU of Michigan, said in a statement. “While we know that this is not a resolution for all the harms caused to the people of Flint from the water crisis, we celebrate this long-awaited win alongside you. We are committed to our partnership and the work ahead.”

Flint shifted its water source from Detroit to the Flint River in 2014 to save money, but the new water supply was not treated to combat corrosion, resulting in one of America's most serious public health catastrophes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the water issue exposed approximately 100,000 residents to lead.

More than 9 million lead service wires transport water throughout the United States.