Flint water crisis (2014-2016)
Flint, Michigan switched its water source to the Flint River in April 2014 without corrosion control. Lead leached from aging pipes into drinking water, exposing thousands of residents, including children, to elevated lead levels.
The city switched back to Detroit water in 2015 and the state declared an emergency in 2016. Federal charges were filed and a $600 million settlement was later reached with residents.
The crisis became a national warning about lead plumbing and drove federal and state mandates for pipe replacement.
It explains why municipalities now replace lead connections before corrosion fails, the work Greenville is doing on Seventh Street.
