Lead detected in drinking water in city of Wayne
Water samples from 9 out of 60 homes tested in the city of Wayne this year had lead levels above the federal action threshold, leading the Wayne County health department to urge city residents to put lead filters on their faucets, consider blood-lead testing for children and take other action to reduce their risk of exposure.
Lead is a neurotoxin that can damage the brain and kidneys and can affect the way the body makes red blood cells. There is no safe level of lead in drinking water, but the state's Lead and Copper Rule requires communities to take action when more than 10% of water samples test higher than 15 parts per billion.
The highest level recorded in the nine city water samples that exceeded the action level between Jan. 1 and June 30 measured 31 ppb, said Lynn Sutfin, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. However, among all the samples tested, the lead 90th percentile was 16 ppb, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
Wayne gets aid from state to replace lead pipes
At least 400 homes have lead service lines in the city, said Mayor John Rhaesa, who added that efforts have been underway since 2021 to replace them.
"Making sure that all of our citizens have lead-free water has been our No. 1 concern," Rhaesa told the Free Press on Tuesday. "Every six months, they test, and we keep having the same results because the lead is leaching from those service lines in a little over 400 people's homes."
Over the last two years, the city of Wayne has been able to replace about 200 lead service lines, said Ed Queen, assistant director of the Department of Public Works. But the cost to replace the remaining 400 is expected to reach nearly $5 million.
"We've been fighting to get help because we don't have the budget money for lead line replacement. We estimate it is going to cost $4.9 million to fix that," Rhaesa said. "So we've been trying to get funding from the state, trying to get funding from federal government. And (Monday), with the help of state Sen. Darrin Camilleri and Rep. Kevin Coleman, when the governor signed the budget, there's $4.9 million in it to fix the lead lines in Wayne.
Eastpointe also gets lead abatement money
The city of Wayne's allotment is part of a $200 million expansion of the state's Clean Water Plan, which will put a total of $302 million toward replacing lead service lines in communities across the state, including Wayne.
The city of Eastpointe also will get state funding to help it replace lead water lines after samples from seven of 60 homes tested exceeded federal standards earlier this year; the lead 90th percentile in Eastpointe was 22 ppb, according to EGLE.
Scott Dean, a spokesperson for EGLE, said homes with lead service lines have an increased risk of lead in the drinking water because the toxic heavy metal can leach from the lines. It also can enter drinking water when in contact with solder, home/building interior plumbing, fittings and fixtures that contain lead.
"All residents should assess their sources of lead and their potential exposure to lead," Dean said.
Flint and Benton Harbor lead cases
Lead-tainted drinking water has made headlines for nearly a decade in Michigan, since the Flint water crisis began in 2014 when the city switched water sources. The change to more corrosive water from the Flint River caused lead to leach from the pipes and into the drinking water of nearly 100,000 people. In addition to lead in the water, the city also grappled with an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease cases and deaths.
Since then, a project to replace all of the city's lead service lines has been underway. The city says on its website that the effort is "nearing completion." EGLE and the city reported in September that it was 95% finished.
A project to replace lead service lines in the city of Benton Harbor, which also had actionable levels of lead in the drinking water, is now 99.8% complete, according to a city database.
In 2019, the state enacted a new, stricter Lead and Copper Rule that requires testing lead levels in a fifth-liter sample of water in the service line in addition to testing a first-liter sample from the home plumbing.
Great Lakes Water Authority fights lead
"Wayne would not have had a lead Action Level exceedance without the 1st/5th liter sampling methodology," Dean said. "The 90th percentile calculation with the 1st/5th liter data is 16 ppb. The 90th percentile with only the 1st liter data is 6 ppb."
The Great Lakes Water Authority, which provides water to 3.9 million people in Michigan, including to the cities of Wayne and Eastpointe, treats the drinking water supply with corrosion-control measures to reduce the risk of lead and copper leaching.
The authority, Dean said, is in the process of "an extensive corrosion control study," at its water treatment plants and customers’ distribution systems "to determine if improvements or changes can increase the corrosion control effectiveness."
For residents concerned about the risk of lead exposure in drinking water, free water filters and replacement cartridges are being distributed by the city at the city of Wayne's Department of Public Works, 35200 Forest Ave. between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 734-721-8600 for details.
In Eastpointe, residents can pick up water filters at Eastpointe Memorial Library, Eastpointe City Hall and Public Works offices. To schedule a special pickup time, call 586-204-3032.
Additionally, the state health department urges residents to reduce the risk of lead exposure by:
Running your water to flush out lead-containing water before you use it. If you do not have a lead service line, run the cold water for 30 seconds to two minutes, or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature. If you have a lead service line, run the cold water for at least five minutes to flush water from your home or building’s plumbing and the lead service line.
Using a certified lead filter, especially in homes built before 1987 and those with a child, pregnant person or someone with high blood pressure. Filters should be tested and certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for lead reduction and NSF/ANSI Standard 42 for particulate reduction (Class I). Filter cartridges should be replaced every two months.
Using cold, filtered water for cooking and making baby formula. Do not use hot water. Clean your faucet aerator to remove trapped debris.
City of Wayne residents can schedule free blood lead level testing for children through the Wayne County health department by calling 866-610-3885 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Subscribe to the Free Press.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lead detected in drinking water in city of Wayne
