Deal to settle Flint suit would bring $87M for water lines
Judge to consider agreement with state
Michigan will allocate $87 million for the city of Flint to identify and replace at least 18,000 unsafe water lines in Flint by 2020 under a proposal to settle a federal lawsuit that provides the state with a road map to end free distribution of bottled water.
The proposed settlement requires state officials to pay $895,000 to plaintiffs who brought the 2016 lawsuit to cover their litigation costs.
U.S. District Judge David Lawson will have a hearing at 1 p.m. ET Tuesday to consider the agreement, which was the result of mediation. Lawson is likely to approve the agreement, subject to his oversight of its enforcement.
Concerned Pastors for Social Justice, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and Flint resident Melissa Mays won’t get the door-to-door delivery of bottled water they had sought in recent months. But the plaintiffs would get a schedule for water line replacements while the state gets a schedule for weaning the city of Flint off the community resource stations where bottled water, water filters and filter replacement cartridges are distributed free.
Some — but not all — of the money the state allocates can come from federal government grants.
Flint’s drinking water became contaminated with lead in April 2014 when as a short-term costcutting measure, a state-appointed emergency manager switched the city’s drinking water supply from Lake Huron water treated in Detroit to Flint River water treated at the Flint Water Treatment Plant.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has acknowledged a mistake in failing to require the use of corrosion control chemicals as part of the treatment process.
The corrosive water allowed lead to leach from from pipes, joints and fixtures, causing a spike in toxic lead levels in the blood of Flint children and older residents.
Flint switched back to Detroit water in October 2015, but some risk remains because of damage to the city’s water distribution infrastructure.