Saturday marks 12 years since Flint water crisis began

FLINT, Mich. (CBS, KYMA) - Saturday, April 25, 2026, marks twelve years since the Flint water crisis began.

The public health crisis started after state-appointed emergency manager Darnell Earley changed Flint's water source from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (sourced from Lake Huron and the Detroit River) to the Flint River.

The switch caused the water supply to be contaminated with lead, which residents noticed right away when the taste, smell, and color of the water changed.

Officials failed to apply corrosion inhibitors to the water, resulting in lead from aging pipes reaching the water supply and exposing around 100,000 residents to elevated lead levels.

In 2016, Obama declared a federal state of emergency, authorizing help from FEMA. In May of that year, he went to visit the city of Flint and told them "this never should've happened in the first place."

The city switched back to the Detroit water system on October 16, 2015.