Michigan and Flint agree to settle water case for $97 million
Under a proposed settlement announced Monday, the state of Michigan will pay $47 million to replace lead pipes in Flint and distribute free bottled water to residents.
The water crisis in Flint started in 2014, when the city changed its water source to the Flint River, which was contaminated and exposed residents to lead. In 2016, several activists filed a lawsuit against the state, saying officials violated the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the settlement will be reviewed Tuesday by a U.S. district judge in Detroit. In addition to the $47 million, which will be used to replace lead and galvanized steel pipes with copper service lines at 18,000 residences, bottled water will be delivered to people who are unable to leave their homes and provided at water distribution centers operating every day except Sunday. Flint residents will also still be able to have their tap water tested for free for the next four years, up to four times annually.
The state has already budgeted $40 million to cover the water crisis and set aside $10 million for any unexpected expenses. Earlier this month, Michigan was awarded a $100 million emergency grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to upgrade Flint's infrastructure; the grant was approved by Congress in December and signed into law by former President Barack Obama. Michigan State Senate Democratic Leader Jim Ananich of Flint called the settlement "very fair," and said he has received "assurances" the city will get enough money to replace all of its lead pipes over the next several years. "I'm gonna hold them to that," he told The Detroit News. "We'll make sure that the resources are there."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published