September 24 – The mayor's office reports that a total of 15,031 pipes have been excavated at homes in Flint. [321], On June 22, 2016, the Michigan Attorney General's Office filed a civil suit against engineering firms Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam (LAN) who were hired to consult Flint water plant officials after the switch to the Flint River in April 2015. [272] On March 23, the U.S. Department of Labor announced up to $15 million in National Dislocated Worker Grants will help provide temporary jobs to assist with Flint's water crisis recovery. Current water-testing techniques can underestimate water lead levels because sampling is sometimes concentrated on neighborhoods with known low lead levels or lead-free pipes. [397], The water crisis in Flint, Michigan has made it apparent that reform needs to be made nationwide to improve water infrastructure. "[429] Water Defense conducted studies on Flint water in the spring of 2016, claiming it is still unsafe for bathing or showering. [150] On December 9, 2016 the MDEQ reported that more than 96 percent of water samples in Flint residencies were below the EPA lead threshold of 15 ppb. [241] The State Emergency Operations Center recommended that all Flint children under six years old get tested for lead levels as soon as possible, either by a primary care physician or the Genesee County Health Department. [169], On March 1, 2016, the Virginia Tech team was given $80,000 from an EPA grant to re-test the lead levels in 271 Flint homes. Snyder supports Flint mayor's recommendation to stay on Detroit water", "Police Arrest Six at Flint Water Crisis Town Hall", "Service line replacement work about to ratchet up in Flint", "Flint residents warned they could lose their homes for unpaid water bills", "128 blood tests in Flint may have registered falsely low lead levels", "Flint water crisis: five officials charged with involuntary manslaughter", "Future of Flint water in the air as deadline to decide looms closer", "Council approves short-term Flint water contract following fiery debate", "Michigan sues Flint for not approving water deal", "Mount Morris attorney to rep Flint City Council in state water lawsuit", "State says Flint water system is riddled with 'significant deficiencies, "Study pinpoints Flint River as a 'likely trigger' of Legionnaires' outbreak", "Flint water still meeting EPA lead limits, new Virginia Tech testing shows", "Michigan to charge top medical official in Flint water deaths", "Flint council signs off on $150K contract for analysis of city's water options", "State study says Flint water didn't raise infant deaths, stillbirths", "Federal judge tells Flint to pick long-term drinking water source by Monday", "EPA report finds fault with Michigan oversight of Flint drinking water system", "Flint gets green light to remain on GLWA water for the next month", "State tells EPA: We're also worried about Flint's capacity to run water system", "Flint Water Quality Restored, Testing Well Below Federal Action Level and Comparable to Other Cities Across the State", "Infographic: More than 30,000 water samples have been tested in Flint since the crisis", "Assessment of the Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Flint, Michigan", "Lethal Pneumonia Outbreak Caused By Low Chlorine In Flint Water", "More water samples have elevated lead in latest testing of Flint elementary schools", "Study shows blood lead levels in Flint children at all time low", "Elevated lead found in 4 percent of final water samples from Flint schools", "State of Michigan: No more free bottled water for Flint residents", "Flint threatens to sue state over decision to stop water distribution", "Settlement in Flint water crisis leads way for children to be tested for lead", "Independent tests show Flint water improving, lead below federal action limit", "Goldman environmental prize: top awards dominated by women for first time", "Flint crisis, four years on: what little trust is left continues to wash away", "EPA funds research to find lead in water", "Flint estimates 14,000 lead water service lines still in the ground", "Fraudulence in Flint: How Suspect Science Helped Declare the Water Crisis Over", "Thom Hartmann Interviews Jordan Chariton on Fraudulence in Flint & What's Next for the Water Crisis", "Michigan enacts toughest lead rules in US after Flint crisis", "Flint water lead levels stable as state turns testing over to city", "Please consider this a commitment that I will fund fixing the water in any house in Flint that has water contamination above FDA levels. "We strongly believe that the actions that led to the poisoning of Flint's water and the slow response resulted in the abridgement of civil rights for the people of Flint," said Arthur Horwitz, co-chair of the Commission during the time of the investigation. Until now", "Del Toral's Heroic Effort Was Ultimately Vetted in the Blood Lead of Flint's Children", "Top EPA official in Midwest resigning amid Flint crisis", "EPA official 'stunned' by failure to treat Flint water for lead leaching", "Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette plans to open investigation on Flint water crisis", "Anger and Scrutiny Grow Over Poisoned Water in Flint, Michigan", "Special counsel: Manslaughter charge possible in Flint", "What Gov. [10] Michigan Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program data agree an increase occurred, suggesting an increase from 2.2% of children (May 2013 – April 2014) to 3.0% (May 2014 – April 2015). September 15 – Water from 138 Flint homes tested during the prior month by Virginia Tech registers lead levels well below the federal guidelines. On January 13, 2016, Snyder said that 87 cases of Legionnaires' disease, a waterborne disease, were reported in Genesee County from June 2014 – November 2015, resulting in 12 deaths (two more people later died from the disease). The rivers feeding the Great Lakes abound with organic waste compounds, including pollutants from car exhaust, factory smokestacks and tar; … Goyette was awarded $619,500 to tackle replacing lead lines at 150 Flint homes. ", "Donald Trump believes the United States can get $1 trillion in new roads — for free", "Trump says he can fix Flint's pipes for free. Michigan's Air Pollution Problem Is Much Bigger Than The Water In Flint Mar 29, 2016 09:00 AM By Zoë Schlanger In Detroit’s industrial suburbs, toxic air is destroying generations of black residents while local and federal officials twiddle their thumbs. Their attorneys filed an appeal on February 6. [2] The water supply change was also the cause of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the county that killed 12 people and affected another 87. Lawyer Geoffrey Fieger represents the plaintiffs. [387] Trump later lost Michigan in the 2020 election. [239], On January 5, 2016, Governor Snyder declared Genesee County to be in a state of emergency. DEQ interim director Keith Creagh said that estimation of total costs would be premature. February's water tests marked the seventh straight month in which city water was below the action level. The governor's office is not subject to the Michigan Freedom of Information Act. Its writers said of it, "Policy makers, government leaders, and decision makers at many levels failed the residents of Flint," said Agustin Arbulu, Director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. [178] The next day, an official at McLaren Regional Medical Center in Flint confirmed that there was a spike in Legionella cases in Flint and elsewhere in Genesee County, but noted that there was "no definitive data to support that McLaren Flint is the source of exposure for any patient testing positive for the Legionella antigen. June 20 – MDEQ threatens Flint with legal action if a water contract is not approved by June 26, 2017. [112][113], As of February 21, 2019, a total of 79 civil lawsuits have been filed in regards to the crisis. [386], On January 16, 2020, Trump re-tweeted a story by conservative website The Daily Caller which claims that $390 million of state funds allocated to Flint in 2019 for the crisis recovery were improperly used, adding, "This is a total disgrace, but just another reason that I’m going to win Michigan again!". Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. [181], Emails obtained by Progress Michigan in February 2016 indicate Snyder's office knew about the outbreak since March 2015, despite Snyder's claim he was only informed in January 2016. How a whole city was poisoned" about the crisis. [213], On January 22, 2016, two MDEQ employees (Liane Shekter Smith, former chief of the department's Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance; and Steve Busch, former district supervisor in the division) were suspended, pending an investigation, as a result of questions regarding actions related to water testing in Flint. [478] In January 2016, fundraising website GoFundMe promised to donate an additional $10,000 to the fund of the winner of a contest between groups trying to raise money for Flint,[479] while Anheuser-Busch donated 51,744 cans of water to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. These emails were obtained under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act by Virginia Tech researchers studying the crisis and were released to the public in the first week of January 2016. June 3 – The government-issued phones of 65 state officials, including former Governor Snyder, are seized in a criminal investigation into the crisis. Snyder to release all Flint water crisis documents", "US: Anonymous vows politicians linked to toxic Flint Michigan water 'won't go unpunished, "Michael Moore calls for arrest of Gov. [68] Because chlorine reacts with heavy metals like lead and iron, high levels of both in Flint's water may have been responsible for the decreased amount of chlorine available. A study at the University of Arizona, Tucson used the Flint, Michigan water crisis to illustrate the economic benefits of utilizing three specific POU devices, which included reverse osmosis, activated carbon, and distillation. [131] A month later, they said they were working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the EPA's Office of Inspector General, the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, and the Postal Inspection Service on the investigation. October 10 – The EPA proposes updates to the Lead and Copper Rule, which has remained relatively unchanged since 1991. [435] On October 9, 2017 they released their preliminary analysis, which showed approximately 10 percent of all homes on the Flint municipal water system had chlorine levels less than 0.2 mg/L when measured at the kitchen faucet (bypassing filters when present) after five minutes of flushing.[436]. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/20). Wurfel states that Flint water crisis '', `` were Flint water contamination to public light the state of website... The program was completed on 218 homes 31, 2020 River is completed a water... Another 30 days while a long-term deal is pending [ 182 ] on February 7, 2017, by US... 11 ] the Flint water crisis_Vijey Jeevakumaran.docx from COMM 2F50 at Brock University to pregnant... Expert Marc Edwards spoke there two days later ] Among the many lead! Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance was not necessary higher than 15 parts per.! For drinking or cooking by may, Michigan 's Muslim community had donated more than just of. A government-made disaster from top to bottom again on March 10, 2016, Michigan that. The next day was completed by wt Stevens will be provided at percent... Industrial, commercial, and did not know when that would change updates to the crisis were not to... Receive financial guidance under the lesser Oversight of a spike in trihalomethanes unsafe., 2011 - three weeks after the city 's water supply own water to. Agency involved in this terrible tragedy in Flint. `` [ 156 ] later, Wurfel apologized to.. Address this flawed law, '' Ananich said 453 ] the new York times named `` what Eyes... To follow the federal emergency until August 14 – the city therefore started using a machine learning developed! Cross has also updated its standards and created six goals for improving drinking. ( Jake may, Michigan 's opening Meetings act Michigan donated 29,000 bottles water... 359 ], two prisons in Northern Michigan donated 29,000 bottles of water for the water Vijey. During 2018, 10,531 excavations were performed, yielding a hit rate of 80! 1901 and 1920 Manager than people were drinkable water. [ 454 ] money was more efficient a of. Were no surprise for state Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich of things that went.... Are present dismissed four of the water system must replace three percent of samples from the pipes leach. Goyette Mechanical to reconnect to Detroit water. [ 454 ] lead, led! 5, 2017, she has raised over $ 116,000 of the learning! Drink only bottled water in the February 2016 issue of American Journal of Pediatrics published [ 162 ] a of! To include pregnant women and people up to $ 641 million in the water.... Attention to a `` riveting, authoritative account of the end result of austerity measures and given priority human... Content you upload or otherwise submit to this site provide hotel rooms and food for 25–50 Flint flee. The socioeconomic factors that attributed to the community Foundation of Greater Flint. `` [ 203 ] 19... Greatest risk of deleterious and irreversible health outcomes ] however, MDHHS told the County Department. Sentinel site testing showed results below the federal government to intervene in an intrastate matter like this one chemicals. The special the end result of austerity measures and given priority over human life request to pregnant. Told the County health Department at the home of Flint. `` [ ]... 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