FLINT, Mich.: Michigan on Wednesday approved a $626 million settlement for Flint residents and others who were exposed to lead-contaminated water, the latest development in the crisis that began in 2014. That was when the city began taking water without properly treating the Flint River, resulting in lead contamination.
Here is a look at some of the important moments from then till now:
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April 2014: To save money, Flint begins drawing water from the Flint River for its 100,000 residents. The move is believed to be temporary while the city waits for a new regional water system to connect. Residents immediately complained about the smell, taste and appearance of the water, and they raised health concerns, reporting rashes, hair loss and other problems.
January 2015: Detroit offers to reconnect Flint to its water system, but Flint leaders insist the water is safe.
September 24, 2015: A group of doctors urged Flint to stop using the Flint River after children found high levels of lead in their blood. State regulators insist the water is safe.
September 29, 2015: The then-Govt. Ric Snyder pledges to take action in response to lead levels, the first acknowledgment by the state that lead is a problem.
October 2015: Snyder announces that the state will spend $1 million to buy water filters and test water at Flint public schools, and a few days later tells Flint to return to using water from the Detroit system.
December 29, 2015: Snyder accepts the resignation of Dan Wyant, director of the Department of Environmental Quality, and apologizes for what happened in Flint.
January 5, 2016: Snyder declares a state of emergency in Flint, the same day federal officials confirm they are investigating. A week later, the Michigan National Guard begins helping distribute bottled water and filters.
January 14, 2016: Snyder, a Republican, asks the Obama administration for a major disaster declaration and more federal aid. The White House provides aid and emergency declaration on January 16, but not a disaster declaration.
January 15, 2016: Then-Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuett launches an independent review.”
March 23, 2016: A panel appointed by the governor concludes that the state of Michigan is fundamentally accountable for the crisis because of decisions made by environmental regulators.
April 20, 2016: Two state officials and a local official are charged with tampering with evidence and other crimes in an investigation by the state attorney generals, who investigate the first charges to come from the investigation.
August 14, 2016: The federal emergency declaration expires, but state officials say work continues to fix the drinking water system.
December 10, 2016: Congress approves a comprehensive bill authorizing water projects nationwide, including $170 million to address lead in Flints drinking water.
December 16, 2016: Congressional Republicans close a year-long investigation, blaming both state officials and the Environmental Protection Agency.
December 20, 2016: Schuett accuses former emergency managers Darnell Early and Gerald Ambrose of multiple felony charges for their failure to protect Flint residents from health hazards caused by contaminated water. He accuses Early, Ambrose and two employees of the City of Flint of false pretense and conspiracy to falsely pretend issuance of bonds to pay part of the water project that caused the crisis.
February 17, 2017: The Michigan Civil Rights Commission released a report that found systemic racism is at the root of the problems that led to the water crisis in the majority Black city.
March 27, 2017: Water lines will be replaced at Flint homes in a landmark deal approved by a judge.
June 14, 2017: Michigan Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyons is accused of failing to alert the public about an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the Flint area, which some experts believe is poorly treated Done with water. He and four others have been charged with involuntary manslaughter. The state’s chief medical officer, Dr. Eden Wells, has been charged with obstruction of justice and lying to an investigator.
April 2018: Snyder ends Flint water distribution, saying the city’s tap water has improved.
July 19, 2018: A federal watchdog calls on the EPA to strengthen its monitoring of state drinking water systems nationwide and to respond more quickly to public health emergencies like Flints. The EPA says it agrees with the inspector general’s recommendations and is rapidly adopting them.
January 7, 2019: Former Michigan drinking water regulator Lianne Shector Smith pleads no contest to the foul play of a legitimate meeting in the Flint water investigation. Smith was facing felony charges, including involuntary manslaughter.
April 16, 2019: Todd Flood, a special prosecutor who spent three years leading a criminal investigation into the Flint water scandal, is fired as a result of a search of 23 boxes of records in the basement of a State Building.
June 13, 2019: Prosecutors drop all criminal charges against eight men in the Flint Water scandal and resolve to start the investigation from scratch. Solicitor General Fadwa Hammood, who took control of the investigation after the election of a new attorney general in January 2019, says all available evidence was not followed by the previous prosecution team.
July 29, 2020: Michigan Supreme Court says Flint residents whose health and homes were harmed can sue officials over decisions that mark an important procedural step in a long-running lawsuit .
August 20, 2020: A $600 million deal between the state and residents of Flint over damage from lead-tainted water is announced after more than two years of negotiations.
January 13-14: Rick Snyder, the former governor of Michigan, is charged with misdemeanor, and his health director and other former officials are charged with various misdemeanors and crimes following a new investigation into the Flint water scandal.
November 5: Michigan says it will pay $300,000 to the only employee fired as a result of the Flint water crisis, Lianne Shector Smith, who heads the state’s drinking water department. An arbitrator said that Shektor Smith had been unfairly fired by officers who were looking for a scapegoat.
November 10: A judge approves a $626 million settlement for Flint residents and others who were exposed to lead-contaminated water. Most of the $600 million of the money is coming from the state of Michigan.
Disclaimer: This post has been self-published from the agency feed without modification and has not been reviewed by an editor
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