In 2015, the State of Michigan switched the water supply back to lake Hutton, however, the damage to the pipes was already done. It took 4 years and 77 million dollars in government funding to replace 100000 damaged pipes in the city. In 2019 after testing 20000 homes, the Flint government deemed the water as "safe to drink".
Additionally, an investigation was launched that concluded that two engineering companies were responsible for the incident. One company was hired by the city to help operate the water treatment plant using the Flint River in 2011 and the other as a water-quality consultant in 2015. The companies repeatedly followed bad advice and dumped too much ferric chloride into the city's water supply.
Most of the Flint health officials resigned, and some faced charges for gross negligence. Out of the 15 charges, only one minor conviction has been obtained, and all other charges have been dismissed or dropped. To combat the PR crisis, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) rebranded itself to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). In 2020 victims of the water crisis were awarded a combined settlement of $600 million
To avoid another environmental crisis in the future, the Flint Water Advisory Task Force developed an environmental justice plan for Michigan that included 33 recommendations. Some of the recommendations have been implemented as an executive order.
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