Flint Switches Back to Detroit Water After 18 Months—But Damage to Children Is Permanent

Flint reconnects to the Detroit water system 18 months after the catastrophic switch to Flint River water, following Governor Rick Snyder’s approval of $9.35 million to restore the connection and provide relief. The switch comes only after independent researchers proved beyond doubt that the water was poisoning children—and after thousands of children had already suffered permanent neurological damage from lead exposure.

Flint Mayor Dayne Walling announces that residents will begin seeing Detroit water in their homes, though officials caution that the complete transition will take approximately three weeks. However, the return to Detroit water cannot undo the damage: between 6,000 and 14,000 children were exposed to dangerous lead levels during the 18-month crisis. Lead poisoning causes irreversible harm to developing brains, including reduced IQ, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, developmental delays, and increased lifetime risk of mental health issues and Alzheimer’s disease.

The timing of the switch—October 2015—reveals the power dynamics at play. The switch occurs only after Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha’s research on September 24 proved elevated blood lead levels in children, forcing state officials to verify her findings on October 2. When faced with irrefutable scientific evidence and mounting public pressure, officials suddenly found $9.35 million they had claimed was unavailable when they made the cost-cutting decision to use Flint River water.

Moreover, switching back to Detroit water does not make the pipes safe. The corrosive Flint River water had stripped protective coatings from lead pipes throughout the city’s water system. Even with treated Detroit water flowing through the system, lead can continue leaching from damaged pipes for years. Complete remediation requires replacing all lead service lines—a process that would take until 2022 to substantially complete at enormous public expense, all to reverse a decision made to save $5 million.

The crisis exposes the cost-benefit calculation at the heart of environmental racism: officials gambled with children’s health to save money, knowing that a predominantly Black, poor community would have limited ability to fight back under the anti-democratic emergency manager system.