Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel released a 101-page report this week documenting the state’s criminal investigation into the lead-contaminated drinking water crisis that affected Flint residents for years. The report provides a comprehensive account of how the crisis unfolded after city officials began drawing water from the Flint River in 2014 to reduce costs, and details the delayed response from local and state authorities when lead from aging pipes began leaching into the water supply.
Nessel’s office assembled a team of prosecutors who ultimately charged former Republican Governor Rick Snyder and eight other officials with 42 felony and misdemeanor charges. The prosecution presented evidence to a judge acting as a one-person grand jury, but the state Supreme Court invalidated those charges in 2022, ruling that the judge lacked authority to issue indictments under state grand jury law. The report represents what Nessel described as the final step her office can take toward accountability, as criminal prosecution is no longer viable.
Nessel acknowledged the frustration that justice has not been served through the criminal justice system and expressed regret that the evidence and facts compiled by investigators and prosecutors never reached a jury. She defended the decision to pursue charges directly from a judge as the appropriate course at the time, and questioned the political implications of the Supreme Court ruling, noting that three justices who voted unanimously to dismiss the charges had been appointed by Snyder.
The document release came several years after the initial charges were brought and reflects the complexity of summarizing millions of documents while protecting confidential grand jury proceedings. A judge previously approved a $626 million settlement for Flint residents exposed to contaminated water, and Congress authorized approximately $170 million in water infrastructure funding to address lead contamination in the city.
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