DETROIT – Over 200,000 Detroit residents and businesses received a letter notifying them that their service lines are made of lead or other materials.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) now requires every city and township in the United States with lead service lines to mail letters to every property with a known lead service line, known galvanized service line or a service line of “unknown” material that may be lead every year for ten years.
The Detroit Water and Sewage Department (DWSD) said the city’s drinking water continues to be safe to use as it meets or exceeds Safe Drinking Water Act standards.
You can watch Tuesday’s press conference regarding the letters in the video above.
DWSD Director Gary Brown said the letter does not indicate there has been a change in the city’s water quality.
Brown also addressed what the EPA classifies as a service line with “unknown” material. He said that was the verbiage the EPA required them to send to residents, but DWSD failed to provide context. The “unknown” material can mean the city needs to verify if the pipes are copper or lead. Residents have the option to take action to ensure their pipes are safe, according to Brown.
A sample of the letter sent out to Detroit residents can be viewed below:
DWSD Lead Notice by ssayles on Scribd
