This case summarizes the toxic water crisis in Flint, Michigan between 2011 and the end of 2016, which followed the decision to switch the city’s public water supply from Lake Huron to the more corrosive Flint River. It outlines the factors that led to the initial government decision, and the social, economic, health, and policy consequences that followed. The case highlights the role of citizens, scientists, and activists in raising public awareness of the crisis and the toxic long-term effects of lead poisoning on affected children. It also illustrates the challenges and questions such a crisis poses for other communities in the United States and globally.

The case is accompanied by an instructor’s note, role play exercise, and discussion guide with an accompanying teaching graphic.