Welcome, Tonya!
Please join us in welcoming Tonya Adkins-McKeever as the Interim Executive Director of the Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan!
Lead in Drinking Water
In west Michigan, lead in drinking water is rarely identified as the primary route of exposure for children with elevated blood lead levels. While lead exposure through drinking water is possible, EPA-mandated testing results for west Michigan communities consistently report that the lead content in municipal water supplies is below EPA guidelines. In Grand Rapids, the most recent testing results available (2018) report lead levels as safe in Grand Rapids' water.
While this is good news, water testing can only provide lead content at one moment in time. Water testing cannot guarantee that your drinking water is safe 100% of the time. In order to assure safe drinking water, use an NSF-approved water filter (more information below).
See the "Resources" linked on the right for more information (below if viewing on your phone).
Recognizing that there have been no major changes to local water programs in west Michigan, the Healthy Homes Coalition's primary concerns with lead in water arise when there is construction activity involving the water system. Most notably, the partial replacement of lead service lines (the line between the street and the home) have proven problematic.
Partial lead service line (LSL) replacements have been conducted in municipalities across the nation and the impact upon lead-reduction in residential tap water has been varied. While the precaution has not been adequately studied because the sample size available to CDC was of insufficient size, “preliminary results suggest that when lead service lines are partially replaced, that is the public portion of the line from the main to the meter is replaced, children are more likely to have blood lead levels greater than or equal to 10 μg/dL, compared to children living in housing with either undisturbed lead service lines or service lines that are not made of lead” [source: CDC letter to local lead program managers].
Due to a lack of testing, it is unclear if this type of work in Grand Rapids and other west Michigan communities results in elevated lead content in the water. The truth is, we simply do not know. Because of this lack of information, the Healthy Homes Coalition recommends precaution. It is our desire to see 100% of those who own properties being directly affected by service line replacement achieve the maximum benefit of complete service line replacement and the protection of interim filtration until water samples meet clearance.
Frequently, partial LSL replacement has resulted in a short-term increase of lead content in residential water. The impact on effectiveness of partial LSL replacement is multi-factorial. "Both full LSL replacement and partial LSL replacement generally result in elevated lead levels for a variable period of time after replacement. The limited evidence available suggests that the duration and magnitude of the elevations may be greater with partial LSL replacement than full LSL (replacement) [source: EPA Science Advisory Board]. As a result, many communities and organizations, including the CDC and EPA, have made the recommendation that the precautionary principle be followed. The only documented way to achieve significant precaution is through full LSL replacement.
If the utility is replacing the water main in your street or their portion of a lead service line, the Healthy Homes Coalition recommends the following precautions:
Are you wondering if your service line contains lead? The City of Grand Rapids has an informative map that shows if the public and/or private side of the lead service line contains lead for customers receiving water from the Grand Rapids Water System.
According to the EPA, the most common problem with lead in plumbing components is "with brass or chrome-plated brass faucets and fixtures with lead solder, from which significant amounts of lead can enter into the water, especially hot water" [source: EPA].
The EPA says, "Homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures and solder. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) has reduced the maximum allowable lead content -- that is, content that is considered "lead-free" -- to be a weighted average of 0.25 percent calculated across the wetted surfaces of pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings, and fixtures and 0.2 percent for solder and flux" [source: EPA]. This reduction in allowable lead content for plumbing products (pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings, and fixtures) only recently took effect in January of 2014. Previously, plumbing products with up to 8 percent lead were considered "lead-free".
Many local water service providers in Michigan add phosphate to the water, which results in such components being covered over time with a protective coating.
The Healthy Homes Coalition recommends replacement of lead-containing plumbing components at the end of their service life with lead-free products or sooner if water testing shows elevated lead content in household water.
More information on lead in plumbing components can be found at these helpful websites:
The Kent County Health Department began offering water testing for lead in June 2016. Sample collection kits are available at no charge at the Kent County Health Department, Environmental Health Division, 700 Fuller Avenue NE in Grand Rapids. The cost to get your water analyzed for lead is $18 per sample. More information is available on the Health Department's Laboratory website under "drinking water testing."
The State of Michigan also offers water testing for lead. The cost is also $18. For a fact sheet complete with contact information, click here.
If you have a lead service line, the Healthy Homes Coalition recommends a second sample that captures water that has been sitting in your service line. Click here for a sample protocol on how to collect both a "first draw" and a second sample that collects water that has been sitting in your home's service line.
Please note that water testing can only provide lead content at one moment in time. Water testing cannot guarantee that your drinking water is safe 100% of the time. In order to assure safe drinking water, use an NSF-approved water filter. These filters can be found for less than $30 (does not include cost of replacement filters).
If you would like mnore information on lead in water or Michigan's new 2018 Lead and Copper Rule, visit the Graham Sustainability Institute and the University of Michigan's "What you need to know about Michigan's 2018 Lead and Copper Rule" page. There is a wealth of information about both the rule and how to protect your family from lead on this webpage.
Childhood lead poisoning causes irreversible brain damage, but is 100% preventable!
Kent County Water Testing Instructions(178 KB)
State of Michigan Water Testing Fee Schedule(347 KB)
2018 City of Grand Rapids Water Quality Report(548 KB)
January 26, 2016 City of Grand Rapids Media Release on Water(123 KB)
February 5, 2016 City of Grand Rapids Media Release on Water(712 KB)
Don't Miss This Opportunity!(390 KB)
KCHD Lead in Water Flier(221 KB)
Please join us in welcoming Tonya Adkins-McKeever as the Interim Executive Director of the Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan!
Dear Friends and Supporters, after more than 14 years of leading the Healthy Homes Coalition, last week I informed the Board of Directors that I will be stepping down as the Executive Director effective October 31, 2020. This is a bittersweet time for me, as your commitment to action and justice has been nothing short of amazing.
Our Breathe Easier asthma program now looks newer, fresher, more relevant, and more empowering. Even though home visits are out of the question for safety reasons, it is a great time to invest in relationships.