FLINT, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can’t wash its hands of the Flint water crisis just yet. A federal judge has again refused to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to hold the agency accountable for failing to step in as residents drank contaminated water.

The suit, first filed in 2017, argues the EPA knew about mounting complaints but didn’t use its authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act to act. U.S. District Judge Linda Parker agreed, citing the Good Samaritan doctrine—the idea that once the agency stepped in, it had a duty not to do so negligently.

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The crisis began in 2014 when city officials switched Flint’s water source to the Flint River to save money, but failed to treat it against corrosion. Consequently, corrosion ate through old pipes, leaching lead into homes and sparking one of the country’s worst public health disasters.

The EPA has the right to appeal, which could drag the case out further. 

Meanwhile, the state and city have already agreed to multimillion-dollar settlements over their role in the water crisis, but Flint residents have yet to receive any compensation.