PETOSKEY — Officials from municipalities throughout Michigan — including Petoskey — have concerns about new state rules that tighten lead pipe regulations, arguing that they could require millions of dollars in local government repairs, with no reimbursement from the state.
The rules, which burgeoned out of a reaction to the Flint water crisis, make Michigan the strictest state in the country for lead and copper levels in drinking water.
They will require that, after the year 2025, environmental agencies will have to step in if lead and copper levels reach 12 parts per billion, as opposed to the current federal standard of 15.
Some environmental groups have lauded the new rules — with the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, for example, describing them as “an important step forward in protecting all our drinking water from lead contamination.” “There is no safe amount of lead in drinking water, and no child or senior in Michigan should have lead in their water,” group deputy director Bob Allison said in a press release.
The new rules also mandate utility providers to replace all lead and copper pipes and goosenecks in their service areas by the year 2040, and that 5 percent of those pipes be replaced by 2021.
“I tend to agree with them, although I think the cause is something that certainly needs to be addressed,” Straebel said.
The cost of replacing the pipes could cost millions of dollars for municipalities.
LaMacchia argues that’s a low estimate, only accounting for cities that have above 5 parts per billion of lead in the water.
As such, the Municipal League estimates the cost to be more in the range of $2.5 billion for all municipalities in Michigan.
“This is why this becomes much more than a simple, ‘Let’s take the lead out,’” he said.