WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Six employees of the US state of Michigan were charged on Friday in connection with the water crisis in the city of Flint, local media reported.
The individuals now facing charges work for the Michigan's department of health and human services and the department of environmental quality, according to the Detroit Free Press.
In April 2014, the city of Flint started getting its water from a nearby river to save money. State officials repeatedly insisted the water was safe, even when they knew it was tainted with lead.
Doctors discovered the problem when routine testing found high levels of lead in the blood of children in the city.
Flint has since switched back to its original water source, but the water still needs filtering because the lead pipes are still corroded and ultimately need to be replaced.