For around four years now, the water supply to the city of Flint, Michigan, has been contaminated with lead. Now, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has promised to help. Replying to a request on Twitter, Musk pledged to fund remediation work to houses with contaminated water supplies.



Baby D @DylanSheaMusic
· 13h

Hey @elonmusk I heard a bunch of people saying there's NO WAY you could help get clean water to Flint, Michigan. Said you wouldn't be capable idk

Elon Musk
✔
@elonmusk

Please consider this a commitment that I will fund fixing the water in any house in Flint that has water contamination above FDA levels. No kidding.
4:52 PM - Jul 11, 2018

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For some time now, people on Twitter and elsewhere have been calling on Musk to turn his attention to this domestic scandal; those calls having escalated in response to his high-profile interest in the rescue of 12 children and their soccer coach from a cave network in Thailand.

As is usually the case with plans that are barely an hour old, the details are thin as of now. But Musk—tweeting from China—told people in Flint to reply to his tweet with test results showing contamination above the recommended limits, at which point he would arrange having a water filter fitted for them. (We should note that it's actually the EPA, not the FDA, that sets limits on environmental pollution exposure, and that the state of Michigan has already been supplying water filters to affected residents.)



Jonathan Diener
✔
@jonodiener
· 13h

Hey #Flint friends, let’s make this happen! If you’re a resident dealing with contaminated water and still paying some of the highest water bills in the country (for years), nows your chance. @elonmusk, could you set up a site or database where people can sign up for this? https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1017149641991680002 …

Elon Musk
✔
@elonmusk

For now, reply to my tweet with ppm & ppb test results & will send someone to install a water filter. Creating email flint@x.com, but I’m in China so that won’t be working until tomorrow.
5:12 PM - Jul 11, 2018

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In replies to other Twitter users, Musk mooted the idea of a "barnstorming weekend" installing water filters across Flint and noted that many houses in the area do actually have safe water now despite perceptions otherwise. While this isn't a flashy solution that uses offcuts from rockets, it also has the potential to make a lasting positive impact on the lives of citizens of Flint, particularly its children, who can suffer from developmental delays if exposed to environmental lead.

This isn't the first time Musk has paid attention to the Flint water scandal; earlier in July, we discovered that he has been supporting a program to give bikes (as well as drinking water) to children in Flint.