Flint counsel says manslaughter charge harshest possible

Pitts is one of many people in Flint calling for lead pipes to be replaced – now Weaver says an estimated 15,000 service lines will be replaced at an estimated cost of $55 million.

“In order for Flint residents to once again have confidence and trust in the water coming from their faucets, all lead pipes in the city of Flint need to be replaced”, Weaver said. Regulators failed to ensure the new water was treated properly and lead from pipes leached into the water supply, contributing to a spike in child lead exposure. The mayor and other officials are hoping the project can be completed within a year with a few dozen crews and under “optimal conditions”, per Weaver.

The legislature has already approved $37 million for Flint.

Weaver says she will accept any assistance given from any source to make sure that Flint water will soon be free of lead.

The email made no reference to what has been the most frequently mentioned explanation for the decision on corrosion control: The DEQ told city officials that a federal rule on lead and copper pollution required first testing the river water for two six-month periods to determine whether controls were needed.

During a press conference in Lansing on Tuesday, attorney Todd Flood, a former Wayne County assistant prosecutor who was tapped by the MI attorney general to lead the investigation, said they are considering charges including “gross negligence, involuntary manslaughter, and misconduct in office” against those responsible for the lead-tainted water.

Though a federal investigation has been opened and residents are demanding that Michigan Gov. Rick Synder be charged for endangering citizens, no one has been indicted for the crisis, which has left thousands of residents without clean drinking water. He said at least 10 outside investigators are working on the probe.

Well, last night on Reddit, a video emerged of a local Flint woman, Melissa Mays, discussing the dire financial situation this water crisis has put residents in, and it’s terrifying.

Rick Snyder is set to propose spending $195 million more to address Flint’s water crisis and another $165 million updating infrastructure, including lead water pipes, across the state.

Flint is not the only big ticket item on the governor’s agenda: Funds for Detroit Public Schools will also be included. According to her, in addition to getting bad, unsafe water, residents also paid out the nose for the right to be poisoned.

The board of canvassers previously rejected recall petitions related to the Flint water crisis, the spokesman said.

According to the family’s attorneys, the suit is the first individual (non-class action) lawsuit brought against the city of Flint and MI state.