The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, is a disaster that may be well-known across the nation, but what the residents are going through needs more exposure.

Flint residents have reported unsanitary water for two years. Because of corroding water pipes, the amount of lead in the water is so high that it is considered toxic. The brown, murky water that comes out of their sinks can cause permanent damage to the central nervous system, kidneys and brain along with many more illnesses.

Certainly, the local and state government would make this unfortunate event right.

Surprisingly enough, what the government is doing is extortion at work.

Flint residents have been reporting they are expected to pay for the toxic water. If not, their houses may be foreclosed and children taken away by CPS for not supplying water to them.

The idea of the government poisoning families and then demanding them to pay for the poison or their children will be taken away is infuriating.

President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency Jan. 16, and only now is the local government acknowledging it might have done something wrong.

Flint residents were told the water was safe to drink while state workers received bottled water in January 2015 because they were concerned of the high levels of lead. The state government had known about the contaminated water for a year, possibly more, and has only now taken initiative to fix the problem after it gained national attention.

Flint prisoners, including pregnant women, were forced to drink poisoned water for months before switching to bottled water. Even after switching to water bottles, inmates are still bathing and eating food cooked in the poisoned water.

It’s hard to believe that something like this could happen in the U.S. At a time when trust in government is already low, the handling of this crisis is not helping.

Children are getting sick, pregnant women are introducing toxins into their bodies and people are dying due to negligence.

Flint residents are left with few options to live a healthy lifestyle.

It is estimated that it could take up to 15 years and $60 million or more to fix the problem.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder needs to own up to his faults instead of evading the scandal altogether. Calls for his arrest have been increasing and rightfully so. No person should walk free after contributing to poisoning an entire city.

This water crisis is the result of government officials thinking that cutting corners at every turn is a good policy. If they truly believed the water was clean to begin with, they’re the ones that should be drinking it.