Another Michigan city finds lead in its water samples

“I am deeply concerned about the elevated lead levels that appeared in recent testing.” — Michigan state Rep. Abraham Aiyash

DETROIT — The city of Hamtramck said Wednesday it has discovered high levels of lead in some water samples.

Out of 42 samples that officials recently took as part of routine testing in the city north of Detroit, six of them had levels of lead above what are called “Action Levels,” the city said in a letter to residents posted on its website.

Free water filters were to be provided Thursday for residents in the Hamtramck Town Center parking lot. The city was working on additional sites and times, too.

“Out of the 42 addresses, six of them failed,” Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski told the Detroit Free Press. Majewski said the city has been working on replacing older lead lines but needs more state resources to finish the job.

“It takes a while to make it through,” she said. “We could step it up with more help from the state.”

Majewski and City Manager Kathleen Angerer signed the letter sent to residents.

“Each year the City of Hamtramck conducts testing of tap water in homes for lead and copper,” the letter reads. “As required by the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), lead and copper samples are collected from homes that have lead service lines. We recently collected samples from 42 homes. … The lead 90th percentile for the City’s water supply is 17 parts per billion (ppb), which exceeds the Action Level of 15 ppb.”

“I am deeply concerned about the elevated lead levels that appeared in recent testing,” state Rep. Abraham Aiyash, a Hamtramck Democrat, told the Free Press. “My office is in close contact with Department of EGLE, and other state and city officials. Our top priority now is addressing the immediate needs of our residents to ensure they are informed and take the appropriate safety measures.”

Aiyash added that Hamtramck needs to get “the support necessary to address the structural dangers of lead service lines immediately. I will be working hard to secure dollars to continue this work at an accelerated rate.”

Majewski said that “we’re doing what we can, but to keep our residents safe, we really need more support form the state to meet those mandates” to replace old lines.

Lead has been a problem over the years in other municipalities in Michigan and across the U.S. In Flint starting in 2014, water that wasn’t properly treated went through old pipes that leached lead into drinking water. And this year, Benton Harbor residents have voiced concern about lead contamination and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer visited the city this week to hear their complaints.

Hamtramck’s letter offered tips for residents.

“The more time water has been sitting in your home’s pipes, the more lead it may contain,” the letter reads. “Therefore, if your water has not been used in several hours, run the water before using it for drinking or cooking. This flushes lead-containing water from the pipes. Additional flushing may be required for homes that have been vacant or have a longer service line.”