Flint water crisis

Cities around the Great Lakes region struggle with the cost of water maintenance and operation as their populations decline.

U.S. District Court Judge Judith E. Levy denied motions to stop subpoenas for Snyder and four other government officials in a civil lawsuit. The former officials wanted to assert their right to remain silent given their pending criminal cases.

Lawyers’ large cut of the $626-million settlement is justified by the years of difficult, good work on the case, a judge said Friday. Critics argue that’s too much, and that more of the money should go directly to Flint residents.

The settlement is a landmark in the tragedy, but a judge has yet to decide how much of the payout lawyers will keep. That's a big sticking point.

The percentage of Michigan children with elevated blood lead levels has been falling for decades, but the toxic metal continues to inflict an uneven toll in Michigan cities, from Detroit to Grand Rapids.

New rules, imposed after Flint, forced public water providers to look harder for lead leaching into drinking water. Violations of state lead standards are up nearly 50 percent, with new urgency to remove lead from water lines.

Until Michigan’s lead pipes are replaced, schools should install lead filters to protect our children. Bills now in the Legislature would ensure that.

The state’s stepped-up timeline follows pressure from local water activists who argue state and local government officials have been too slow to respond to lead-tainted water that has plagued the city for years.

Dangerously high lead levels have appeared in water tests in this low-income, majority Black community since 2018. Residents and activists say they fear the problem dates back longer, with Flint’s crisis as a backdrop.

It seemed like a good deal: The city offered free replacement of lead water lines to residents. But mistrust of the government, particularly in immigrant communities, and unclear messaging has made the operation a hard sell.

Lawyers want a sizable cut of the proposed $641 million deal, noting the risks they took and millions of dollars of expenses in litigating the class action. The debate highlights continued conflict over what justice looks like for battered Flint residents.

Rick Snyder’s attorneys argue that “neglecting a city is not a crime.” That should scare all of us.

According to the preliminary report, thousands more signed up since March 29, seeking a part of an historic settlement that exceeds $600 million in reimbursement for lead-poisoned city drinking water.

Under a Snyder-era reform following the Flint water crisis, Michigan utilities must begin switching out lead service lines this month, part of a 20-year project. But some already are seeking extensions and some cash-strapped cities are reluctant to have vulnerable ratepayers shoulder the burden.

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the pediatrician who helped uncover the Flint water crisis, said Michigan’s lead service line replacement program is a major stride toward reducing lead exposure. But Michigan residents need not wait to start protecting themselves from lead-tainted water.

The federal appropriations bill for the 2021 fiscal year, signed into law this week, included $26.5 million to test for lead in schools and child care centers, a nod to the legacy of the Flint water crisis, which lifted the issue of lead in drinking water into the national spotlight.

Years after a cost-cutting move resulted in lead-poisoned drinking water in Flint, residents said they are furious that the governor who placed their city under emergency control won’t face more serious charges.

Seven years after a fateful water switch, the former governor faces two misdemeanors, while others including former health director Nick Lyon were charged with several felonies.

Prosecutors are expected to bring new charges Thursday against a host of public officials in the poisoning of Flint. Residents welcome the charges, but attorneys call the case a ‘debacle’ and ‘trial by ambush.’

Water advocates say they plan to push state and federal lawmakers for more funding to address PFAS, lead line replacement, and other water issues. But the COVID-19 crisis could make budget dollars scarce.