Another Michigan community has been dealing with high levels of lead in its drinking water supply for less than two weeks.
Hamtramck City Water Supply Indicates High Level of Lead
In a recently published article in Newsweek, officials in Hamtramck, Michigan, published data on Wednesday showing that the city's lead levels are 17 parts per billion (ppb), surpassing the state's action threshold of 15 ppb. A recent test found that the city conducts yearly tap water testing, which revealed elevated levels of lead.
Lead may also infiltrate drinking water when it comes to touch with lead-containing surfaces such as pipes, solder, home/building interior plumbing, fittings, and fixtures, according to the news release. Also, houses with lead service lines are more likely to have high lead levels in their drinking water.
In a separate news release, Hamtramck City Manager Kathleen Angerer said that she just wants the people of Hamtramck to have "safe, clean drinking water." She also urges local authorities to address the issue and guarantee the safety of the community's various households, as per 6Park News Michigan.
Hamtramck Plans To Issue Free Water Filters
"The target for lead in drinking water is 0 ppb," Hamtramck said in a full-length press statement, adding "there is no acceptable level of lead in the blood." The city also plans to provide Hamtramck residents with free water filters, according to the statement.
Moreover, on October 21, the City of Hamtramck collaborated with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to provide Hamtramck households with one free water filter with replacement cartridges. In the following weeks, further distribution events will be planned and announced, according to a report published in Fry Electronics.
The revelation that Hamtramck's water supply has been contaminated by high lead levels comes only a week after Benton Harbor, Michigan, reported the same problem.
Benton Harbor Officials Discover High Levels of Leads in the Water Supply
On October 11, Benton Harbor authorities learned that an environmental agency organization submitted a petition to the Environmental Protection Agency in September to enable clean drinking water, aimed to be supplied to the community after excessive lead levels in the water system were found in 2018.
The National Wildlife Federation's vice president of environmental justice, climate, and community regeneration is Mustafa Santiago Ali. Ali talked to the Metro Times on October 8 about how reducing the use of lead pipes would improve children's health and educational retention, since lead has been related to a variety of teenage problems, per Detroit News.
Meanwhile, the state of Michigan encouraged residents in Benton Harbor to drink and cook with bottled water in an effort to deflect accusations that it did not do enough to address the city's high lead levels for three years in a row. Under pressure from environmental and activist organizations, the state Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy started making bottled water accessible to residents in the southwest Michigan community.
