On April 25, 2014 officials from Flint, Michigan switched the city’s water supply to the Flint River as a cost-cutting measure for the struggling city. In doing so, they unwittingly , in what would become a massive public-health crisis.
started when officials decided to switch the water supply from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the Karegnondi Water Authority to save money for the economically struggling city. Before that connection could be built, the city turned to the Flint River as a temporary water source. By May, that the brown water flowing into their homes looked and smelled weird, but the largely went ignored by officials. In August, E.coli and coliform bacteria were detected in Flint’s water.
From there, a from the Environmental Protection Agency, and several independent studies, warned of dangerous levels of lead in the water. Although the city switched their water supply back in October 2015, the damage to the pipes had already been done. After months of denial and dodging, the mayor, governor and president declared a state of emergency in Flint. Free water bottles and filters were provided to residents to help them cope.
Unfortunately, the crisis didn’t end there for Flint residents. , people were still using bottled water to cook, drink and even brush their teeth. The city’s recovery has been slow, as it works to replace 30,000 lead pipes. (In late 2022, it was in the "final phase" of the replacement project.) By 2017, reports showed that the water in most homes was generally safe, but many residents still don’t trust what comes out of their tap.
In the aftermath, residents filed a , and nine officials—including then Michigan Governor Rick Snyder—were charged with 34 felony counts and seven misdemeanors. Other cases and investigations are ongoing.
