Elon Musk Said He Will Pay for Home Water Filters in Flint The SpaceX and Tesla CEO will address 'outliers' that stll don't meet FDA standards.

By Richard Lawler Edited by Dan Bova

This story originally appeared on Engadget

Getty Images via engadget

Four years ago, the Flint water crisis began when officials switched its source from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Its more corrosive water caused dangerous levels of lead from old pipes to leach into the city's drinking water, poisoning residents.

Now, after fighting with officials just to get the problem recognized in 2015, many residents still don't trust the city's tap water. Into the fray steps Elon Musk, fresh off of his submarine-building exploits, responding to a tweet with this promise "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."


Whether you think his involvement in high profile events is a kind of PR stunt or anything else doesn't particularly matter if anyone in Flint actually gets much-needed help. Michigan's state government recently ended a free program delivering bottled water to the city, even though some people continue to report that the water they're getting is unusable. While Musk said in further tweets that "Most houses in Flint have safe water, but they've lost faith in govt test results. Some houses are still outliers," he encouraged residents to reply to his tweet with test results and listed an email address for the program.

We'll see how this turns out in practice, even as Flint's pipe replacement program is scheduled to run through 2019. As far as the standard being applied, while the FDA specs apply to bottled water, they essentially refer to the EPA standards for tap water which you can see here.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon Regrets Cursing at Company Town Hall But Stands By Return-to-Office Mandate: 'We're Not Going to Change'

Dimon said if employees don't want to return to the office five days a week, "They can get a job elsewhere."

Buying / Investing in Business

Former Zillow Execs Target $1.3T Market

Co-ownership is creating big opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Growing a Business

5 Steps to Spend Less and Sell More — The Smart Entrepreneur's Guide to Growth

Here's how entrepreneurs can cut costs while boosting sales.

Growing a Business

This Chef Built a Meatball Empire, Lost Millions and Came Back Stronger with a Pizza Revolution

Daniel Holzman discusses the importance of authenticity, better workplace culture and not letting ego get in the way of financial success.

Marketing

5 Unconventional Tips to Turn Your Ideas Into Impactful Creative Collaboration

From brainstorming sessions to final product launches, it's the creative process that transforms ideas into successful ventures. Learn why some creative processes succeed and others don't and how you can unlock the full potential of your team's creativity.