City issues warning on drinking water

By Charles Sercombe

Don’t be alarmed, folks.
The city has recently posted a notice on its website that two out of five homes that were tested for water quality revealed that they tested high for lead content.
Our water is considered safe if the led level is no higher than15 parts per billion. The two sites tested a bit higher. During a second test, one of the sites tested safe, while the other exceeded the accepted lead level at 28 parts per billion.
We are not talking Flint-levels high – which in some places in that city the lead level spiked as high as nearly 14,000 parts per billion.
Nevertheless, the result here in Hamtramck required the city to take several steps to remedy the situation. One of those steps allows residents to have their home water tested by the city for free.
So, if you have any worries, don’t hesitate to call the city at (313) 800-5201. Also see page 4 of this week’s issue (Oct. 19, 2018) to read the city’s notice on the matter and what steps for households to take.
By the way, the public school district recently had the drinking water at its schools tested and there were absolutely no signs of high lead levels. In other words, the drinking water at the public school buildings is safe for your child to drink.
One theory about why the one location in Hamtramck that showed a high lead level is that recent work in replacing nearby water lines caused the spike, or perhaps the homeowner did some work.
The city will be monitoring the situation. Eventually, all communities are being required to replace home lead service lines. Not surprisingly, this government mandate comes without any funding to undertake this huge project.
In the meantime, you can take precaution by running your tap water for a couple of minutes before drinking it or using it for cooking. Don’t, however, boil the water because that does not do a thing to eliminate lead.

Oct. 19. 2018