Six Years After The Water Crisis, Michigan Will Pay $600 Million To Flint Residents

Nearly six years on from its water crisis, the city of Flint, Michigan, will receive financial compensation from the state meant for residents who suffered health problems from the 2014 water crisis, according to reports.

Children apparently will be the primary beneficiaries of the settlement, which would resolve any standing legal disputes after 18 months of negotiations between residents suing the state and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Few details about the deal have been released, but a source for the Associated Press said a $600 million fund would be established for Flint residents to file for compensation. About 80% of the funds will be devoted to anyone under the age of 18 harmed during the crisis. Total compensation would be based on the extent of harm an applicant suffered to their health.

Additional details are set to be released later this week.

“We and the other parties are bound by a federal court order to maintain the confidentiality of detailed settlement and mediation communications until we reach a certain point,” Nessel spokesperson Ryan Jarvi said in a press release. “We have not yet reached the point where we can discuss a potential settlement.”

Flint has struggled since the 2014 crisis, which exposed anywhere between 6,000 and 12,000 people to lead-contaminated water from the Flint River. At least 12 people subsequently died from Legionnaires’ disease caused by the water and residents were forced to rely on bottled water for over a year.

By 2016, lead-contaminated water was no longer detected in most Flint homes.

While it may not rectify the all lingering problems in Flint, the agreement will effectively end the litigation city and state officials have been dealing with since January 2020, after a Supreme Court ruling that civil lawsuits could be filed by residents against officials alleged to have allowed the water to become contaminated.