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IM water system passes lead, copper tests

IRON MOUNTAIN — Stricter tests for lead and copper in Iron Mountain’s water system have revealed no levels that will require corrective action, City Manager Jordan Stanchina said.

Among 22 homes that were sampled, the highest level for lead was 7.3 parts per billion — well below the action level of 15 parts per billion. For copper, the highest reading was 200 ppb, far beneath the action level of 1,300 ppb.

“Our water is safe,” Mayor Dale Alessandrini said.

A more stringent testing method had been ordered under Michigan’s new lead and copper rule, Stanchina said. “(It) required us to test homes that have a ‘lead goose neck,’ usually about two to three feet in length, that connects the water main to the galvanized service line,” he explained.

The process involved filling five bottles after not using the water for six hours, with the first and fifth bottle sent in for testing. The first bottle, then, potentially represented “what’s in the house,” while the fifth bottle gave an indication of city water quality, Stanchina said.

Results for lead in the first samplings ranged from a low of 0.51 ppb to a high of 7.3 ppb, while the fifth samplings ranged from 0.14 ppb to 2.9 ppb. The bottled water standard for lead is 5 ppb, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

Copper in all of the samplings ranged from a low of non-detectable to a high of 200 ppb.

Under the revised lead and copper rule, the action level for lead will be go to 12 ppb beginning in 2025. Regardless of test results, the new rule also requires replacement of all lead service lines by 2040. A preliminary inventory of distribution system materials is due from utilities by Jan. 1, 2020.

While Iron Mountain has no lead service lines, it does have an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 lead goose necks that would have to be replaced over the next 20 years, Stanchina said. The cost could range from $5 million to $12 million, not including accompanying water main work.

Alessandrini said the state is focusing on distribution systems, even though plumbing in some homes may pose a greater risk.

Some Michigan cities and utilities have filed legal challenges to the lead and copper rule, but so far to no avail. Former Gov. Rick Snyder created the rule after the Flint water crisis.

Small sections of lead pipe commonly were used in water systems until about 1950 to allow a flexible connection between rigid delivery mains, with the bent segments often taking the shape of a goose’s neck.

In other action Monday, the Iron Mountain council:

— Received an investment report showing $127,065 in interest earned in the previous fiscal year, an increase of $44,678. While this is encouraging for the city budget, interest rates again are trending down, Stanchina said.

— Learned that only four deer have been culled during the city’s managed archery hunt. The harvest may be meager because no baiting is allowed under Michigan Department of Natural Resources rules to combat chronic wasting disease, Stanchina noted.

— Approved closing a section of Pine Street between Pewabic and Aragon streets to accommodate the state Capitol Christmas tree harvest Thursday.

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