(Newswire.net — June 25, 2018) –Michigan has begun enforcing its rules for lead in drinking water, which are the strictest in the United States. The state’s move comes in response to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, in which dangerous amounts of lead were found in the water supply.
According to the Associated Press, the policy includes plans to replace approximately 500,000 old lead pipes across the state.
Under the new rules, Michigan’s lead and copper rules will only allow 12 parts per billion by 2025. Currently, the federal limit is 15 parts per billion. Additionally, the state will require that any lead pipe that connects to a building or water main must be replaced by 2040.
The plan is expected to cost $2.5 billion, and water customers will likely foot most of the bill.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said in a statement, “The federal Lead and Copper Rule simply does not do enough to protect public health. As a state, we could no longer afford to wait on needed changes at the federal level, so Michigan has stepped up to give our residents a smarter, safer rule — one that better safeguards water systems in all communities.”
Aging water and sewer lines across the country are causing issues for many municipalities, which are struggling to meet regulations on their current budgets.
As Pipe Shark, a sewer repair company, explains, “Residents want uninterrupted service, treatment plants want less I&I, EPA and State Environmental agencies want perfection (BODs, TSS, CBOD, BCT, BAT, etc.), the piping is aging and much of it was designed for less flow than you have now, and there’s less money to fix things.”
These issues can make it challenging for cities and states to repair or replace their pipe systems.
According to reports from the Associated Press, the new policy prohibits partial replacement of lead pipes unless it’s for emergency purposes. The state will reportedly mandate inventories of the water supply and water lines in the future.
Critics of the policy say the move is an overreaction to the water crisis in Flint.
In 2014, Flint, Michigan stopped purchasing water from the City of Detroit and began pumping water from the Flint River in order to save money. It didn’t take long for residents to realize that something was wrong with their drinking water.
Later that year, General Motors took its plant off Flint water because it was reportedly corroding engine parts. It was later found that in addition to harmful bacteria and carcinogens, Flint’s water also contained dangerously high levels of lead.
Marc Edwards, professor and water safety expert at Virginia Tech University, helped one mother in Flint test her water. Lead levels were reportedly at 13,000 parts per billion.
“If one glass of that water was ingested, that could hospitalize a child,” said Edwards.
The federal limit is about 1,000 times lower than the levels found in the water.
The city of Flint declared its drinking water to be safe in April 2018.
Cyndi Roper, senior policy advocate at the state’s National Resources Defense Council said that while the policy changes could “never make up for the disaster in Flint,” they will help ensure that “other communities are better protected moving forward.”