City records show that about 22 percent of excavations tied to the Flint water crisis have led to copper pipes that do not pose a threat of leaching lead.
The records requested by the Flint Journal say that more than one in five excavations performed by crews that are removing lead and galvanized water service lines in the city have so far been dead ends, leading to copper lines that aren't threatening Flint with lead exposure.
Flint Action and Sustainability Team project coordinator Michael McDaniel calls the 22 percent a "failure rate" because crews shouldn't have to spent time excavating areas that aren't problematic.
The city of Flint is removing and replacing 6,000 service lines this year through Mayor Karen Weaver's FAST program.
