MICHIGAN — The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has announced that Michigan’s Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) has produced helpful data to help accelerate the removal of lead from drinking water.
EGLE says it has communicated with communities with lead levels that exceed quality standards, in addition to its efforts to help reduce lead levels in Benton Harbor’s water.
“The new rule requires communities to test the fifth liter of water drawn from a tap in addition to the first liter to more accurately measure lead in water held in lead service lines outside the home as well as the water sitting in fixtures inside the home,” says Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division (DWEHD) Director Eric Oswald. “Of those two samples, the one with the highest lead level is then used to calculate that community’s 90th-percentile sample – the state criteria for exceedances.”
EGLE explains that exceedances happen when lead is present in at least 15 parts per billion (ppb) in water samples reflecting the 90th-highest percentile, adding if lead levels exceed that amount, that community’s water system is obligated to notify its customers and take immediate action to decrease lead levels.
The state has released the following list of communities with lead levels that exceed water-quality standards:
- City of Hamtramck (17 ppb)
- City of Wayne (16 ppb)
- City of Manchester (31 ppb)
- Mills Township (20 ppb)
- Lakeside Apartments (Oakland County; 18 ppb)
- Cedar Hill Assisted Living (Delta County; 49 ppb)
- L’Arbre Croche Club (Emmett County; 17 ppb)
Benton Harbor’s current lead levels are still pending review of water samples representing the last six months, according to EGLE.
Click here to view lead-sampling results from your community.
Click here to view Benton Harbor’s sampling results since 2018.
Click here for other lead-related resources.
RELATED: Bottled water distribution dates, locations for Oct. 30–Nov. 3 announced in Benton Harbor
