SPRING LAKE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Gordon Gallagher takes pride in Spring Lake Township’s water.
“Lake Michigan is a really clean water source,” said Gallagher, township manager.
Gallagher says in addition to a water supply that requires little filtration, Spring Lake Township ripped out every lead service line a few years ago and put in new ones that are free of the material that can cause developmental delays in children and other diseases in adults when ingested.
“We're always looking at, ‘How do we make sure we've got the best possible water for all of our residents?’” said Gallagher.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants to now do the same in communities across the country.
On Thursday officials proposed a rule change that would require water systems to replace all of their lead lines over the next 10 years. If approved, it would expedite such work already underway in Michigan which, in 2018, after the Flint water crisis,passed its own rule revisionthat set a 20-year deadline for statewide lead line replacement.
“Michigan was absolutely a source of inspiration and ideas as we develop this proposal,” said Radhika Fox, an EPA assistant administrator for water. “[The state] has really been proactive in working to address this issue.”
Other provisions of the proposed rule change include tap sampling changes, where water systems would collect the first and fifth liters of water at sites with lead pipes, which Michigan already does.
The lead “action level” would lower from 15 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb. If a water system exceeds it, officials must inform the public and take other actions to reduce lead in water, like adjusting corrosion control treatment. Under Michigan’s rule revision, the action level drops to 12 ppb in 2025.
“It’s a real challenge to replace all of those [and] not only replacing the services but then road work that's accompanied by it,” said Gallagher. “Another issue is going all the way into the house. … Some people feel that that's an invasion of their space.”
Gallagher understands the importance of lead line replacement but worries about the cost to communities. Spring Lake Township spent $5 million to replace their lead lines.
According to Fox, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocates $26.7 billion that can be used to replace lead lines but notes the agency estimates it may take $30 billion to complete the project. An additional $23.3 billion would be available to implement the other provisions.
“We have to do a cost benefit analysis whenever we do a rule making,” said Fox. “What that found is that the benefits are four to 10 times greater than the costs of getting these lead pipes out and when I talk about benefits, things like protecting children's brain development and about having a loss of IQ for adults, it's preventing heart disease.”
The EPA plans to hold a public hearing on the proposed rule change on Jan. 16, 2024. The agency aims to finalize the provisions by Oct. 16, 2024.
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The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) issued the following statement:
The Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy applauds the federal government’s proposed strengthening of public health protections that will better protect Americans and Michiganders from lead hazards.
Michigan is already ahead of these proposed national standards and has strongest lead standards in the country. This is testament to Gov. Whitmer’s commitment to ensuring all Michiganders have access to clean, healthy drinking water.
For example, Michigan’s lead standard (known as the 90th percentile threshold) will go down from 15 ppb to 12 ppb in about a year’s time (Jan. 1, 2025), and we already require the 1st-and-5th liter protocol that the federal government is proposing.
Regarding timing, the proposed federal standards will take some time as they move through the public comment and rulemaking process, so Michigan’s protective standards will continue to be in force for the foreseeable future. EGLE will continue support communities to meet the state’s stringent standards and any new federal standards that are adopted.
Additionally, Michigan has issued $4 billion in grants and loans to communities since 2019 to shore up water infrastructure, including removal of lead pipes.
Best regards,
Scott Dean
EGLE spokesman
READ MORE: 'Get Ahead of Lead': State launches program to educate and protect residents from lead
