For Anthony Jones, 46, a Gulf War veteran and apprentice craftworker based in Flint, the work that he does—pulling out lead service lines to homes—is personal.

In a mostly conciliatory address in which she repeatedly thanked those who have reached out to her beleaguered city during the “shocking and unprecedented” water crisis, the mayor of Flint, Mich., did take aim at Washington in her first State of the City speech.

Awareness of antiquated drinking-water systems’ potential to fail on a number of levels is at an all-time high as critics excoriate the Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality, state Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their roles in the devastating water crisis in Flint, Mich.

President Obama tells mayors that Washington will send Michigan $80 million for water infrastructure improvements.