'We're heading in the right direction': Flint appears to be turning the corner on its massive water crisis

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The end of Flint, Michigan's water crisis may be in sight according to an expert involved in testing the city's water supply, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Marc Edwards, an expert on lead exposure, said his research shows that levels of the toxic element in the drinking water have decreased by more than 50% and as much as 80%, based on a sampling of more than 160 homes.

Edwards added that properly filtered water was comparable in quality to bottled water or better.

"All of the indicators are that we're heading in the right direction," Edwards said at news conference Thursday.

Officials remain cautious despite the new findings. Edwards emphasized that the city must also make massive infrastructure investments and cautioned that lead levels could rise as equipment is replaced, the report said.

"While science seems to show things are improving, Edwards stressed that the current quality of the water in Flint still isn't good enough and it is not safe to drink," Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said in a statement.

The Flint water crisis garnered national attention in last year after the city began drawing corrosive water from the Flint River. That water had not been treated with chemicals designed to minimize corrosion, which caused lead from the city's aging pipes to contaminate the water supply.

According to a Reuters report, an estimated 8,000 children are believed to have been exposed to lead poisoning after the disaster that placed Flint under a federal state of emergency.