Muskegon Heights Water System

Water Quality Report 2023

2023 Water Quality Report

This report covers the drinking water quality for the City of Muskegon Heights (Water Supply Serial Number 04580) for the 2023 calendar year. This information is a snapshot of the quality of the water that we provided to you in 2023. Included are details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and state standards. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water.

Water Source

Your water is surface water from Lake Michigan and is treated at the City of Muskegon Heights Water Filtration Plant. The State performed an assessment of our source water to determine the susceptibility or the relative potential of contamination. The susceptibility rating is on a seven-tiered scale from “very-low” to “very-high” based on geologic sensitivity, water chemistry, and contamination sources. The susceptibility of our source is moderately high. If you would like to know more about this report, please contact The City of Muskegon Heights Water Filtration Plant at 231-780-3415.

Sources of Drinking Water 

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. Our water comes from Lake Michigan. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

Contaminants That May Be Present in Source Water

• Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
• Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
• Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture and residential uses.
• Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the U.S. EPA prescribes regulations that limit the levels of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Federal Food and Drug Administration

regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which provide the same protection for public health.

Contaminants and Their Presence in Water 

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the U.S. EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Vulnerability of sub-populations 

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. U.S. EPA/Center for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Water Quality Table Key and Definitions

• Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
• Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
• Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL): The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.
• Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
• Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
• N/A: Not applicable
• ND: not detectable at testing limit 
• ppm: parts per million or milligrams per liter 
• ppb: parts per billion or micrograms per liter 
• ppt: parts per trillion or nanograms per liter
• Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.
• Turbidity: A measure of the clarity of the water. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration process.
• NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Unit: Measurements of the minute suspended particles in the water. Used to judge water clarity.

2023 Water Quality Data

The State of Michigan and the U.S. EPA require us to test our water regularly to ensure its safety. The table below lists all the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the 2023 calendar year. The presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done January 1 through December 31, 2023. The State allows us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. All the data is representative of the water quality, but some are more than one year old.

Regulated at the Treatment Plant

Cryptosporidium and Drinking Water

Cryptosporidium is a microbial parasite which is found in surface water throughout the U.S. Although Cryptosporidium can be removed by filtration, the most commonly used filtration methods cannot guarantee 100 percent removal. Monitoring of our source water indicates the presence of these organisms. Current test methods do not enable us to determine if these organisms are dead or if they are capable of causing disease. Symptoms of infection include nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Most healthy individuals are able to overcome the disease within a few weeks. However, immuno-compromised people have more difficulty and are at greater risk of developing sever, life threatening illness. Immuno-compromised individuals are encouraged to consult their doctor regarding appropriate precautions to take to prevent infection. Cryptosporidium must be ingested for it to cause disease, and may be passed through other means than drinking water.

Regulated in the Distribution System

2 The level detected for this substance is reported as the maximum running annual average (RAA) in 2023.

Regulated at Customers’ Taps

Information About Lead

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. The City of Muskegon Heights is responsible for providing high-quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you have a lead service line it is recommended that you run your water for at least 5 minutes to flush water from both your home plumbing and the lead service line. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Our water supply has 3,474 lead service lines or service lines of unknown material suspected to be lead out of a total of 3,975 service lines.

Additional Monitoring

The following are unregulated contaminants are those for which the U.S. EPA has not established drinking water standards. Monitoring helps the U.S. EPA determine where certain contaminants occur and whether regulation of those contaminants is needed.

Water Quality Report & Public Input

We will update this report annually and will keep you informed of any problems that may occur throughout the year, as they happen. This report will be sent to you. Copies are available at City of Muskegon Heights City Hall, 2724 Peck Street, Muskegon Heights, MI 49444, online at http://www.cityofmuskegonheights.org or by calling the Water Filtration Plant at 231-780-3415. 

We invite public participation in decisions that affect drinking water quality. The Muskegon Heights City Council meets on the 4th Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the City of Muskegon Heights City Hall. For more information about your water, or the contents of this report, contact the Water Filtration Plant at 231-780-3415. For more information about safe drinking water, visit the U.S. EPA at http://www.epa.gov/safewater.

Violation Notices

Significant Deficiency Violation Notice

EGLE issued a significant deficiency violation notice to the City on February 17, 2023 noting that the City lacks the technical, managerial, and financial (TMF) capacity to support a water utility. The violation notice identified the following areas for correction: Water system staffing, Water Filtration Plant maintenance, Water Filtration Plant equipment reliability, Water Filtration Plant capacity, instrumentation calibrations, chlorine analyzer, pump reliability, and financial capacity. The city has undergone critical repairs to fix broken equipment, resulting in improved reliability, increased capacity, and better pump performance. Issues with instrument calibrations and the chlorine analyzer have been resolved. The city is collaborating with EGLE to establish a schedule and corrective action plan to fully address all identified deficiencies.

Failure of Monitoring Equipment

During the period from July 2022 to January 13, 2023, a Tier 3 violation occurred due to the failure of the chlorine monitoring equipment. This equipment is crucial for measuring chlorine levels in the water system to ensure proper disinfection. Despite manual measurements not indicating low chlorine levels, it is important to note that they are not collected continuously. The online instrument was not repaired within the required 5 days, as per EGLE regulations. However, a replacement chlorine analyzer has been installed and is now being diligently monitored daily by Water Plant Operators to ensure proper operation.