On This Day: Flint water crisis. Now, criminal action vs gov't officials closed; modest payouts agreed - Apr. 25, 2014
(edited from article)
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10 years of Flint water crisis: How it happened, where things stand
April 18, 2024
In August 2020, a settlement was reached in a lawsuit filed against Flint on behalf of residents who were harmed by lead-tainted water. As of November 2020, it totaled about $641 million. That financial settlement was expected to pay out to the affected 45,000 Flint residents sometime this year.
While some may disagree with the number, the settlement agreement is what the plaintiffs’ attorneys agreed to, and the money will make its way to those impacted.
In September 2023, the Michigan Supreme Court rejected prosecutors last-chance effort to revive criminal charges against former Gov. Snyder and other Michigan officials involved in the water crisis. Prosecutors said last year that the high court’s decision to dismiss misdemeanor charges against Snyder would close the door on any criminal prosecution of government officials in this case.
After several years, the Flint water crisis resulted in zero convictions.
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https://www.clickondetroit.com/consumer/help-me-hank/2024/04/18/10-years-of-flint-water-crisis-how-it-happened-where-things-stand/
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Flint residents to Biden: Pay up for decade-old federal failures in water crisis
April 24, 2024
As they observe Thursday's 10th anniversary of the lead poisoning of Flint's drinking water, city residents are calling on President Joe Biden to acknowledge a federal role in the disaster and approve funds to settle a 7-year-old lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
But the EPA, which is charged with ensuring compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, has never acknowledged liability for its role, despite a paper trail that shows its officials knew about dangerously inadequate treatment of water from the Flint River months before residents were notified.
Despite the settlement with the state and some other defendants, Flint residents have yet to see a dime from the $626.25 million settlement fund announced in 2020 and are not expected to be paid for several more months, due to delays in the claims administration process.
The Free Press reported in March that while Flint residents continue to wait, lawyers in the case have received partial payments totaling $40.8 million, plus $7.1 million in expenses, and the court has authorized an additional $17 million in payments for claims administration expenses.
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https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2024/04/24/flint-residents-biden-pay-up-epa-failures-water-crisis-lawsuit/73421904007/
(edited from Wikipedia)
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Flint water crisis
The Flint water crisis was a public health crisis that started in 2014 after the drinking water for the city of Flint, Michigan was contaminated with lead and possibly Legionella bacteria. In April 2014, during a financial crisis, state-appointed emergency manager Darnell Earley changed Flint's water source from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (sourced from Lake Huron and the Detroit River) to the Flint River.
April 25 [2014] – After construction delays, the water source switch to the Flint River is completed. This date is considered the start of the water crisis.
Residents complained about the taste, smell, and appearance of the water. Officials failed to apply corrosion inhibitors to the water, which resulted in lead from aging pipes leaching into the water supply, exposing around 100,000 residents to elevated lead levels. A pair of scientific studies confirmed that lead contamination was present in the water supply. The city switched back to the Detroit water system on October 16, 2015. It later signed a 30-year contract with the new Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) on November 22, 2017.
On January 5, 2016, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency in Genesee County, of which Flint is the major population center. Shortly thereafter, President Barack Obama declared a federal state of emergency, authorizing additional help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.
[Exposure to lead]
Between 6,000 and 12,000 children were exposed to drinking water with high levels of lead. Children are particularly at risk from the long-term effects of lead poisoning, which can include a reduction in intellectual functioning and IQ, increased issues with mental and physical health, and an increased chance of Alzheimer's disease. The water supply change was considered a possible cause of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the county that killed 12 people and affected another 87, but the original source of the bacteria was never found.
[Legal charges]
Four government officials—one from the city of Flint, two from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), and one from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—resigned over the mishandling of the crisis, and one additional MDEQ staff member was fired. In January 2021, former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and eight other officials were charged with 34 felony counts and seven misdemeanors—41 counts in all—for their role in the crisis. Two officials were charged with involuntary manslaughter. Fifteen criminal cases have been filed against local and state officials, but only one minor conviction has been obtained, and all other charges have been dismissed or dropped. On August 20, 2020, the victims of the water crisis were awarded a combined settlement of $600 million, with 80% going to the families of children affected by the crisis. By November, the settlement grew to $641 million.
[Replacement of lead pipes]
An extensive lead service pipe replacement effort has been underway since 2016. In early 2017, some officials asserted that the water quality had returned to acceptable levels, but in January 2019, residents and officials expressed doubt about the cleanliness of the water. There were an estimated 2,500 lead service pipes still in place as of April 2019. As of December 8, 2020, fewer than 500 service lines still needed to be inspected. As of July 16, 2021, 27,133 water service lines had been excavated and inspected, resulting in the replacement of 10,059 lead pipes.
After $400 million in state and federal spending, Flint has secured a clean water source, distributed filters to all who want them, and laid modern, safe, copper pipes to nearly every home in the city. Politico declared that its water is "just as good as any city's in Michigan." However, a legacy of distrust remains, so residents often refuse to drink the tap water.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis
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