Flint Water Crisis: 5 years later, residents still recovering

Five years ago today, Flint lives were changed forever. 

Five years ago today, Michigan changed forever. 

And while it might seem like so long ago for Metro-Detroit, for those who live and work in Flint, they are still working to recover from the Flint Water Crisis.

April 25 marks the five-year anniversary of when city officials switched from Detroit’s water supply to the Flint River to cut costs. Instead, this switch triggered a city-wide health crisis with lead-contaminated water flowing into every home and business in Flint. 

Related: Watch full Local 4 special 'Failure in Flint -- The Crisis Continues'

While big companies are still supplying residents with water, former Governor Rick Snyder stopped state funding for bottle water in April 2018 after two years of water testing showed lead levels in the municipal supply had fallen below federal action levels of 15 parts per billion.

No matter how many people tell Flint residents their water is “drinkable,” because the level is lower, moms, dads, and grandparents still struggle to trust the water coming from their faucets. It has become part of their daily norm to line up for bottled water and buy new filters to attach to their faucets.

Politicians have made promises to Flint. We’ve seen former leaders head to court as we wait to see who will be made responsible for the crisis. Celebrities have taken trips to Flint with their own donations. 

Twelve people died from Legionnaires’ Disease, and 79 were sickened by it. Water experts linked the 2014-2015 outbreak to the water, but the state health department denies it. 

Let’s use today’s anniversary to remind Michigan and the nation of the struggles still facing Flint.  There’s still ways we can help residents and the children of the city who still need our help. 

The true numbers of how the water crisis has impacted Flint may not be known for decades, but what we do know is this: We cannot and will not forget Flint.

Here's some of the previous Help Me Hank coverage on the Flint Water Crisis:

A day in the life of a Flint family

Failure in Flint: How we got here

From 2016: Is enough being done for Flint?

Battle for clean water in Flint

Gov. Whitmer says she is committed to making sure Flint has bottled water

Meet the women fighting for Flint


About the Authors:

Hank Winchester is Local 4’s Consumer Investigative Reporter and the head of WDIV’s “Help Me Hank” Consumer Unit. Hank works to solve consumer complaints, reveal important recalls and track down thieves who have ripped off people in our community.