Jakarta - Elon Musk donated US$480,000 (Rp6.93 billion) in 2018 to fund a new water filtration system for schools and administrative buildings in Flint, Michigan. Nearly three years later, they are in the final stages of production.

Laura Sullivan, a mechanical engineer from Kettering University, gave an update on the project at a recent school board meeting. The next step is to connect the filter to the district's plumbing and test the water coming out of the fountain for lead and other bacteria.

Flint has struggled with toxic contamination since 2014 when the city shifted its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River in a bid to save $12 million a year. Water from the Flint River began to eat away at the pipes causing catastrophic levels of lead to enter the water, making people sick.

Lead levels in drinking water in Flint are about 4,000 parts per billion. The US Environmental Protection Agency states that lead levels in water in excess of 15 parts per billion require immediate action to stop exposure to lead poisoning.

In 2016, it was reported that lead levels had fallen to 12 parts per billion, but many residents remain skeptical if the problem is actually fixed.

Helping to provide clean drinking water isn't the only side project Musk has taken on besides his stints at SpaceX and Tesla. In addition to his clean energy goals, Musk has also voiced ideas on how to solve the housing crisis, build underground tunnels to fix traffic jams, help those affected by the California wildfires, and more.


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