DETROIT (AP) — A prominent engineering company announced on Friday that it has reached a settlement worth $53 million to resolve all remaining legal disputes related to allegations of partial responsibility for the lead-contaminated water crisis in Flint, Michigan, which occurred a decade ago. The agreement between Veolia North America and residents of Flint comes subsequent to previous settlements with the company amounting to $26.3 million, as well as a substantial sum of $626 million from the state of Michigan and various other involved parties.
Veolia has consistently refuted any accountability for the contamination, emphasizing that it was engaged as a consultant by Flint for a brief period following the city’s decision to switch its water source to the Flint River in 2014 without the implementation of proper corrosion control measures, leading to the leaching of lead from aging pipes. Critics have argued that Veolia could have taken more proactive measures before the then-Governor Rick Snyder and local authorities redirected the city’s water supply back to a regional provider in the autumn of 2015, at which point tests revealed elevated levels of lead in children.
In a statement, Veolia clarified that the final settlement does not constitute an acknowledgment of fault but rather represents the most prudent course of action to prevent protracted, costly, and inconclusive litigation, thereby offering a sense of closure to all parties involved. Veolia attributed the Flint water crisis to decisions made by government officials and maintained that it played no part in the water source switch or the operational management of the Flint water treatment plant, asserting that it was under the impression that the water met regulatory standards.
The $53 million settlement is set to be distributed among approximately 26,000 individuals represented by legal firms, as confirmed by the Michigan attorney general’s office. Concurrently, the state has agreed to drop its own independent lawsuit against Veolia as part of the settlement terms.
“Following years of prolonged legal disputes, this settlement marks a significant milestone in providing closure for the residents of Flint,” remarked Attorney General Dana Nessel.
