Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is cloudy water safe?

A. Water that appears milky is usually the result of harmless tiny air bubbles (dissolved oxygen) trapped in the water, like gas bubbles in carbonated soft drinks. After a glass of this water sits for afew minutes, the water will become clear as the air bubbles float to the top. Since cold water can hold more dissolved oxygen than warm water, this type of cloudiness occurs more oftenin winter. As the water warms up in your householdplumbing, the extra oxygen doesnot stay dissolved and is released;thus air bubbles. Air bubbles do not affect the safety of the water. If you experience cloudy water that does notclear after five minutes, call the Department of Public Works at (586)446-2440.

Q. Is the chlorine used to disinfect water harmful to my health?

A. The GLWA uses chlorine to disinfectour drinking water. Chlorine has been used to treat municipal water in theUnited States since 1908 and it is the most effective way to ensure that waterstays disinfected as it travels throughwater deliverysystems. Chlorine preventswaterborne epidemics such as cholera, typhoid and hepatitis. The amount of chlorine in the drinking water as it leaves the treatment plant is typically 1 milligram per liter (ppm). Chlorine in this quantity poses no known or expected healthrisk.

Detected Contamination Tables

Thesetablesare basedon testsconductedbyGLWAin2020. Many tests are conducted throughoutthe year however,only teststhatshow thepresenceof a contaminantare shown here. Belowis a keyto thetermsused in thetablesthroughoutthis report.

The state of Michigan allows communities, such as Sterling Heights, to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrationsof these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year.

All of the data in the charts below is representative of the water quality, but some testing data is more than one year old.

2020 RegulatedDetected ContaminantsTables of Water Delivered from the Great Lakes Water Authority

Inorganic Chemicals – Monitoring at Plant Finished Water Tap

2020Turbidity – Monitoredevery four hoursat Plant Finished Water Tap

2014 Radionuclides

2020 Sterling Heights Lead and Copper Testing Results

* The 90th percentile value means 90 percent of the homes tested have lead and copper levels below the given 90th percentile value. If the 90th percentile value is above the AL, additional requirements must be met. Sterling Heights has 0 lead service lines. All 39,016 service lines in Sterling Heights are of known materials.

2020 Special Monitoring

Unrelated contaminants are those for which EPA has not established drinking water standards. Monitoring helps EPA to determine where certain contaminants occur and whether it needs to regulate those contaminants

Important Information on Sterling Heights Water Quality & Safety

Sterling Heights City Council

Mayor Michael C. Taylor

Mayor Pro Tem Liz Sierawski

Councilwoman Deanna Koski

Councilman Michael V. Radtke Jr.

Councilwoman Maria G. Schmidt

Councilman Henry Yanez

Councilwoman Barbara A. Ziarko

City Manager

Mark Vanderpool

Public Works Director

Michael Moore

www.sterling-heights.net/waterquality (586) 446-CITY (2489)

03/2021

About Our System

Drinking water quality is important to our community and the region. The City of Sterling Heights and the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) are committed to meeting state and federal water quality standards, including the Lead and Copper Rule.

With the Great Lakes as our water source and proven treatment technologies, the GLWA consistently delivers safe drinking water to our community. SterlingHeights operates the system of water mains that carry this water to your homes service line.

This year’s Water Quality Report highlights the performance of GLWA and the City of Sterling Heights water professionals in delivering some of the nation’s best drinking water. Together, we remain committed to protecting public healthand maintaining open communication with the public about our drinking water.

Source Water

Yoursource water comes fromone of two sources:

• The Detroit River,within Lake St. Clair, and several watersheds within the United States and Canada, or
• The lower Lake Huron watershedwhich includes numerous short,seasonal streams that drain to Lake Huron.

The MDEQin partnership with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department and several othergovernmental agencies performed a source water assessment in 2004 to determine the susceptibility or relative potentialof contamination. The susceptibility rating is on a seven- tiered scale from "very low"to "very high"based primarily on geologic sensitivity, water chemistry and contaminant sources. The susceptibility of the Detroit Riversource water intakes were determinedto be highly susceptible to potential contamination. The Lake Huron source water intake is categorized as having a moderately low susceptibility to potential contaminate sources.

However,all GLWA water treatment plants that use source water from the Detroit Riverand Lake Huronhave historically provided satisfactory treatment of these sources to meet drinking water standards.

GLWA has initiated source-water protection activities that include chemical containment, spill response, and a mercury reductionplan. GLWA participates in a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit discharge program and has an emergency response management plan. GLWA voluntarily developedand received approval for a Source Water Protection Program (SWIPP) for the Detroit River and Lake Huron intakes. This programs includes sevenelements that include the following: roles and duties of government units and water supply agencies, delineation of a source water protection area, identification of potential source water protection area, management approaches for protection, contingency plans, citing of new sources, and public participation and education. For more information, contact the Sterling Heights Department of Public Works at (586) 446-2440.

How Do We Know Our Water is Safe?

The GLWA treatment facilities operate 24 hoursa day, sevendays a week. The treatment process begins with disinfecting the source water with chlorine to kill harmful microorganisms that can cause illness.

Next, a chemical called Alum is mixed with the water to remove the fine particles that make the water cloudy or turbid. Alum causes the particles to clump togetherand settle to the bottom.

Fluoride is also added to protect our teethfrom cavities and decay. The water thenflows through fine sand filters called beds. These filters remove evenmore particles and certain microorganisms that are resistant to chlorine.

Finally, a small amount of orthophosphates and chlorine are added to the treated water just before it leavesthe treatment plant. The orthophosphates helps control the lead that may dissolve in water from householdplumbing systems. The chlorine keeps the water disinfected as it travels through the water mains to reach your home.

In addition to a carefully controlledand monitored treatment process, the water is tested for a variety of substances before treatment, during various stages of treatment,and throughoutthe distribution system.

GLWA tests hundredsof samples each week in their certified laboratories by a highly qualified, trained staff.

For more information about safe drinking water, visit the EPA at www.epa.gov/safewater/.

The City of Sterling Heights will notify you immediately if there is everany reason for concern about our water.

Additional Information

In orderto ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the EPA prescribes regulations, which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits forcontaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

Drinking Water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does notnecessarily indicate that water poses a healthrisk. More information about contaminants can be obtained by calling the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800)426- 4791.

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. As water travels overthe surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

• Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations,and wildlife.
• Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or resultfrom urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming.
• Pesticides and herbicides, from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoffand residential uses.
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organics, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoffand septic systems.
• Radioactive contaminants, naturally occurring or the resultof oil and gas production and mining activities.

Public Participation Opportunities

The City of Sterling Heights and the GLWA are committed to safeguarding our water supply and delivering the highest quality drinking water to protect public health. Please direct any questions or concerns to the Department of Public Works at (586) 446-2440.

Health Information

Lead

Safe drinking water is a shared responsibility. The water that GLWA delivers to our community doesnot contain lead. Lead can leach into drinking water through home plumbing fixtures, and in some cases, customer service lines. Corrosioncontrol reducesthe risk of lead and copper from leaching into your water.

Orthophosphates are added during the treatment process as a corrosion control method to create a protective coating in service pipes throughoutthe system, including in your home or business. The City of Sterling Heights performs required lead and copper sampling and testing in our community. Water consumers also have a responsibility to maintain the plumbing in their homes and businesses, and can take steps to limit their exposure to lead.

If present, elevated levelsof lead can cause serious healthproblems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. The City of Sterling Heights is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 secondsto 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested.Information onlead in drinking water, testing methods,and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline

800. 426-4791or at: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead

People With Special Health Concerns

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno- compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or otherimmune system disorders, some elderly,and infants may be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessenthe risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800) 426-4791