Mayor Karen Weaver on Tuesday announced a $55 million plan to remove and replace all lead water pipes in Flint, Mich., homes, with priority given to households with residents deemed high-risk.
"We're going to restore safe drinking water one house at a time, one child at a time," Weaver said, according to the Associated Press. "All lead pipes need to be replaced. We deserve new pipes because we did not deserve what happened."
The root of the ongoing water crisis began in 2014 when Flint's water supply was switched from Detroit water to the Flint River when Flint was under state-appointed emergency management in a bid to cut costs. However, the untreated river caused lead to leach from old pipes and greatly contaminated Flint's water supply, leaving it with a distinct yellow-brown coloration. In some cases, the water was so poisoned that it qualified as "toxic waste."
Flint has since switched back to Detroit water, but the damage has already been done. Children in particular have been confronted with an increased risk of lead poisoning, which can cause developmental delays and learning disabilities. Meanwhile, the state has pledged $30 million to help pay the city's water bills, which Flint City Administrator Natasha Henderson said on Monday won't be enough to counteract the effect of the crisis on city finances, according to Michigan Live.
However, the person who has suffered the most damage is Governor Rick Snyder. At first it only looked like his political career was in danger, as many people and celebrities called for his resignation. This possibility increased on Monday when the Board of State Canvassers unanimously approved the circulation of a petition seeking Snyder to be recalled. Even though the petition is seeking his recall based on his 2015 decision to move the state School Reform Office to a department under his control, his role in the water crisis is bound to be a major factor in whether the petition receives the necessary about of votes.
Snyder's troubles have only increased since then, as a probe launched by a top investigator seeks to find if Snyder or any other officials were grossly negligent in their handling of the crisis. If they're found to be guilty of that charge, Snyder or any other official could face charges as serious as manslaughter, according to The Washington Post.
"We're here to investigate what possible crimes there are, anything [from] involuntary manslaughter or death that may have happened to some young person or old person because of this poisoning, to misconduct in office," said Todd Flood, the special counsel for the state attorney general's office who is in charge of the investigation. "We take this very seriously."
Despite widespread criticism, Snyder has remained defiant, saying he has no intention to resign until the situation is resolved.
