If any state has a reason to be on guard for drinking water contamination, it’s Michigan. Ten years ago, headlines around the world cast attention to the lead contamination of Flint’s drinking water.
Flint residents were advised not to drink the municipal tap water unless it had been filtered through an approved filter certified to remove lead. The result of inadequate corrosion control of water delivery pipes, the crisis ultimately exposed over 100,000 people to potentially unsafe drinking water.
Although the crisis generated actions to clean up the Flint supply, it’s timely during this Drinking Water Week to recognize both public water systems and private wells are strained.
Governments continue to underinvest in both the construction and upgrade of public water supplies, which serve 5.5 million people in Michigan. A 2023 report card (PDF) created by the American Society of Civil Engineers observed, “Most of the infrastructure within the State of Michigan’s community water supply systems (CWS) is over 50 years old and a significant portion is approaching 100 years of service life. The state has a $860 million to $1.1 billion annual gap in water infrastructure needs compiled from decades of deferred maintenance and lack of knowledge on asset conditions.”
Also of concern is the lack of funding in the state program that monitors and protects drinking water supplies. A consultant to a state task force estimated a need of more than $40 million annually for the staff needed to carry out the program. That state spends less than $20 million.
The state has been fortunate to avoid widespread contamination of public drinking water, although much more progress needs to be made to remove 580,000 lead and galvanized service lines. As of 2024, only about 11% had been replaced.
In 2024, the state recorded 1,375 violations of Safe Drinking Water Act requirements by 332 systems. Many of the violations were related to monitoring requirements. Contaminants that affected a small percentage of violations included two PFAS compounds, naturally occurring arsenic, and total coliform.
The state’s 1.2 million private drinking water wells, which serve 2.6 million people, are also at risk. Unlike public water supplies, private wells are not routinely monitored. That responsibility belongs to homeowners – a point that the state made on Private Residential Well Awareness Day.
Threats to private well water are potentially serious. Nitrates, a form of pollution caused by excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers and animal waste on agricultural fields, have contaminated thousands of wells. Nitrates are associated with “blue baby syndrome” in infants and some forms of cancer in adults.
What does Drinking Water Week mean?
For private well owners, it should mean self-education and action to protect themselves and their loved ones.
And it should mean citizen vigilance and pressure on lawmakers to adequately fund a program that is relevant to every Michigander, every day.
