City officials switched the water source without corrosion control treatment, causing lead leaching from aging pipes; at least 12 people died from Legionnaires' disease linked to the contaminated water, up to 14,000 children were exposed to elevated lead levels, and former Governor Rick Snyder and eight other officials were criminally charged.

City of Flint Department of Public Works — Lead Contamination (2014–2019)

Outcome: City and state officials switched Flint's water supply without required corrosion treatment; at least 12 people died from Legionnaires' disease, 6,000–14,000 children were exposed to elevated lead, and nine officials faced criminal charges.

Background

In April 2014, the City of Flint, Michigan switched its drinking water source from Detroit's Lake Huron-sourced system to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure while the city was under state-appointed emergency management. The switch was made without implementing required corrosion control treatment under the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). Flint's water distribution system contained approximately 15,000 lead service lines.

The Contamination

The Flint River water was significantly more corrosive than Detroit's water. Without proper corrosion inhibitors (orthophosphate), the corrosive water attacked aging lead pipes, solder joints, and brass fixtures throughout the distribution system, leaching lead directly into drinking water. Independent researcher Dr. Marc Edwards of Virginia Tech documented residential samples throughout Flint with high lead levels; one sample collected after 45 seconds of flushing measured greater than 1,000 parts per billion (ppb), approximately 67 times the EPA action level of 15 ppb.

Between 6,000 and 14,000 children were exposed to drinking water with elevated lead levels. Pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha documented a doubling of the percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels in zip codes served by Flint water.

In addition to lead contamination, the switch to Flint River water was associated with an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Genesee County. Between June 2014 and October 2015, 87 people were diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease and at least 12 died.

Regulatory Failures

Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) failed to require corrosion control treatment before the source switch. Internal EPA communications from early 2015 showed a regional EPA employee raising concerns about the lack of corrosion control, but those concerns were suppressed by management. EPA issued an emergency administrative order under SDWA Section 1431 on January 21, 2016 — after the crisis had been publicly acknowledged for months.

The EPA's Office of Inspector General found in a 2018 report that "management weaknesses" delayed EPA's response and that EPA Region 5 had sufficient information by June 2015 to issue an emergency order but did not do so until January 2016.

Criminal Accountability

In January 2021, former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and eight other current and former state and local officials were charged with 34 felony counts and seven misdemeanors. Four government officials — one from the City of Flint, two from MDEQ, and one from EPA — had previously resigned. The state-level criminal cases were largely dismissed or resulted in plea deals by 2023.

Remediation

The Biden administration provided $115 million to replace Flint's lead service lines. The city reached a $626 million civil settlement with residents in 2021.

Primary Source: EPA — Flint Drinking Water FAQs