The former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, along with some members of his administration, will be facing charges in the Flint water crisis. The Flint water crisis has been going on since 2014. The city of Flint originally got its water from Detroit but switched its water source to the Flint River in order to save money until they could finish a permanent pipeline project. The city did not treat the water properly, so lead from the old pipes got into the water that was pumped into residents’ homes. Smelly brown water started coming through the residents’ faucets. Residents started to complain to the city about the look and smell of the water and continued to do so, but they were told by the city that the water was safe to drink, even when residents complained of getting rashes from the water. Snyder did not declare a state of emergency until January 2016.

In 2014, 12 people died from Legionnaire’s disease while the water crisis was going on. However, a 2019 study said that the death toll was probably a lot higher. Legionnaire’s disease is a serious form of pneumonia caused by the bacteria Legionella. This type of bacteria is naturally found in lakes, streams, and other freshwater environments. However, it becomes dangerous when it is found in man-made environments where water is found like sink faucets and showerheads.

It is estimated that about 14,000 children were exposed to lead in the water. A local medical center said that the children of Flint had about 50 percent more lead in their systems than normal. After that information was released, thousands of lawsuits were filed against the city and state. Mona Hanna-Attisha was the pediatrician who first noticed the high lead levels in children’s blood in 2015. She was happy to hear that charges are being brought against government officials again after the charges had originally been dropped. “As a pediatrician privileged to care for our Flint children, I have increasingly come to understand that accountability and justice are critical to health and recovery. Without justice, it’s impossible to heal the scars of the crisis,” Hanna-Attisha told The Washington Post in a text. Even though Hanna-Attisha is happy that charges are being brought against the politicians because it will provide healing for victims of the crisis, she says that criminal charges are just the beginning. “I am hopeful this news serves as a reminder of Flint’s lessons; where the perfect storm of environmental injustice, indifferent bureaucracy, lost democracy & austerity, compounded by decades of racism & deindustrialization left a city powerless & forgotten. Never again should this country have to deal with the generational repercussions of a community poisoned by policies,” said Hanna-Attisha.

In August 2020, Michigan said that there would be a $600 million settlement to start making reparations for the Flint water crisis. This money would go toward more than 10,000 active lawsuits against Michigan’s government. However, many of Flint’s residents say that these settlements will not buy back their confidence in the city’s water system. Even now, years later, many parents are seen buying gallon jugs of water. This is already expensive, but it has become even more costly with the coronavirus pandemic. "It's almost like we got PTSD with the water because we don't really drink it comfortably, like, you know what I'm saying? People actually lost their lives to it," said a Flint resident.

Regarding the politicians facing charges, Michigan Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich (D-Flint) said, “Residents of Flint were repeatedly told they were crazy. They were belittled. They were harmed by the water physically, emotionally. I’ve always said that I think criminal charges are important, because I think it’s criminal what happened to my town.” He does not know what the charges will be but hopes that they will send the message that no one is above the law.

Flint’s Mayor Sheldon Neeley says that they are nearly done with replacing the water pipes. Flint has 26,750 water lines excavated, and there are less than 500 that need to be checked.