Metro Consulting Associates discusses the City of Highland Park’s pathway to lead-free water in recent Detroit Planet article

Appointed Director of Highland Park’s Water Department in 2016, Metro Consulting Associates completed or addressed more than 90 percent of Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE) administrative consent order violations within three years, but there is still more work to be done, including execution of the City’s lead water service line replacement program. 

In 2018, Michigan revised its Lead and Copper Rule, known as the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act, resulting in the strongest protections in the United States against lead in drinking water. A few of the significant changes to the rule include a more rigorous sampling procedure for testing, optimized corrosion control, and increases to lead service line replacements. 

In this feature, Damon L. Garrett, PE, shares his insights from the water supplier perspective and the unique challenges facing disadvantaged communities on their pathway to lead-free water. 

For example, Garrett strongly believes eligibility criteria for the State’s recently announced $500M “MI Clean Water” infrastructure plan requires evaluation to ensure all communities benefit from the funding. At the time of announcement, most of the funding is in the form of loans, not grants, so disadvantaged communities may have debt service challenges that delay their ability to immediately utilize the money—it’s a competitive landscape and communities that are not in good standing could get left further behind. 

Read the full article on the Detroit Planet website: https://planetdetroit.org/2020/10/highland-parks-long-path-to-lead-free-water/