GARDEN CITY, Mich. (WXYZ) — The city of Garden City released an advisory on Friday day on excessive lead levels in tap water after testing a handful of homes.
The public works department said it conducts tests annually to measure the amount of lead and copper in tap water.
Ron Madej, who's lived in his home for 40-plus years said he's pretty sure a lead pipe delivers tap water to his faucets.
Madej said, "They have sent me a notice in regards to inspecting my water pipe, if it may or may not contain lead."
This year, the city said it collected samples from 31 homes. Ten of those homes are known to have 'lead service lines'. In four of those homes, the city found lead levels exceeded what's considered acceptable an amount — 15 parts per billion. The city said some test results read 18 parts per billion.
"If that's the case, then we're going to change the pipe. I don't want to be ingesting lead," Madej told 7 News Detroit.
Madej's neighbor, Traci Pace, who's lived in her home for 20 years said she already takes precautions with a filter.
"As much as you've heard in the news through different, different cities, I'm actually not surprised (about the elevated test results)," she told 7 News Detroit.
Pace explained, "I was in water purification systems. I have a reverse osmosis in the house and that's the only water I use to drink or cook with and give to my animals."
"It's concerning with everything that happened in Flint and everywhere else, and so, it's brought everybody to a place where they're starting to become more aware," she said.
The city said its water source does not contain lead but 'lead service lines' can be a source of lead. When lead levels exceed what's acceptable, the state requires the city to educate the public, provide sampling every six months, and provide service line replacement.
Since 2019, the city said it's replaced 358 lines and that that far exceeds "the 5% on average per year required by the State of Michigan."
Pace said, "When you get into the older neighborhoods, nine times out of ten that's what you're going to run into, and it's going to be very costly for any city to take and replace all of them. So, over time I hope it can happen in order for people to have safe water."
If you think you may have lead service lines, the city has instructions on how to check for lead pipes which can be found here.
If you still need help, the city said you can schedule an appointment and request an inspection.
