Water Quality

The City of Eastpointe recently collected samples from 30 homes with known lead service lines. Of these 30 samples, five exceeded the “Action Level,” which triggers additional investigations and educational outreach in the community. 

This does not mean that every household in Eastpointe has elevated lead levels, however, it does mean that families should be aware of possible sources of lead, how it gets into drinking water, and things you can do to reduce exposure. Here at Eastpointe Community Schools, we have confirmed with the city of Eastpointe that we do not have lead service lines running into any of our school buildings.

Community Resources

Questions

For water testing/lead service line questions, contact the City of Eastpointe Department of Public Works at (586) 445-3661 - ext. 5.

For health related questions, contact the Macomb County Health Department Public Health Nursing program at (586) 469-5520.

Contact your primary care physician for testing your child’s blood for lead poisoning.

Reducing Lead Exposure

Households can take multiple actions to help reduce exposure to lead in the home, including:

• Replace faucets with those made in 2014 or later or marked “NSF 61/9” since they meet stricter limits.
• If you do not have a lead service line, run the water for 30 seconds to two minutes, or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature.
• If you do have a lead service line, run the water for at least five minutes to flush water from your home or the building’s plumbing and the lead service line.
• Use cold, filtered water or bottled water for cooking and preparing baby formula. Hot water is likely to contain higher levels of lead.
• Do not boil water to remove lead. Boiling will not reduce or remove the lead.
• Look for alternative drinking water sources or treatment of water. You may want to consider purchasing bottled water or a water filter.
• Have your water tested for lead if you suspect that your home’s plumbing or faucets could contain lead or lead-based solder.
• Clean aerators. Aerators are small attachments at the top of the faucets which regulate the flow of water. They can accumulate small particles of lead in their screens. They should be removed and sanitized monthly.
• Install a water filter that is certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for lead reduction. The EPA also recommends the filter be certified for NSF/ANSI Standard 42 for particulate reduction (Class 1). If a water filter is installed, replace cartridges at least as often as recommended by the manufacturer.

Source: Macomb County Health Department