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 in Flint, Mich., continues this week, many are asking whether the same situation could happen in the Twin Cities.  

There are lead pipes feeding water to tens of thousands of homes in the Twin Cities, but local officials say a water crisis like that in Flint, Mich., is highly unlikely.

High levels of lead have been detected in Flint's water since officials switched from the Detroit municipal system to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure.

"We will fix this'"

Jim Bode is a water quality manager in St. Paul, which provides water to nearly half a million people in the east metro area. He says the water utility adds chemicals to the water supply that help protect people from lead.

"We're confident, and as long as we operate both our water treatment plant and our distribution of water out in the system, we're confident that we're going the best job and that the lead numbers are quite low in our system," Bode told MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

Bode says as many as 14,000 local homes and businesses may have lead pipes connecting them to a water main. Lead was phased out in 1930, and officials hope to eventually eliminate all the lead connections in the system.

For a national perspective, Robert Glennon, the author of 

"Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What To Do About It,"

 and Brett Walton, who reports for the online water website, Circle of Blue, joined MPR News host Kerri Miller to discuss the country's aging and deteriorating water infrastructure. Listen to "What can be done to prevent another water crisis like Flint, Mich.?" above.

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Lead pipes are still fairly common in historic communities across the state.

St. Paul adds chemicals to the water to prevent lead from getting into drinking water.

Could the Flint water crisis happen in the Twin Cities?

If you think the water crisis in Flint, Mich., could never happen near you, you should know that water infrastructure in cities and towns throughout America is aging and deteriorating. MPR News host Kerri Miller gets a reality check on the needs and the costs of investing in the country's water infrastructure from Robert Glennon, author of "Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What To Do About It," and Brett Walton, who reports for the online water website, Circle of Blue.

Could the Flint water crisis happen here?

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