BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Free bottled water will continue to be provided to residents of the City of Benton Harbor, the State of Michigan announced Tuesday.
The free bottled water is provided by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and distributed by local residents. There remains plans to continue distribution until the state completes lead pipe replacement in the community.
“I am pleased that the state has made their commitment clear to continue providing bottled water to the residents of Benton Harbor until all of the lead pipes have been replaced,” said Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad. “This is one less thing residents have to be concerned about as accelerated pipe replacement is underway to get the lead out and return to some sort of normalcy.”
Benton Harbor residents have been using bottled water for months now because of high lead levels in the community's drinking water.
The lead in the water was first discovered in late 2018 and in October of 2021, when Benton Harbor city commissioners unanimously declared a state of emergency.
Like many other communities along the lakeshore, Benton Harbor gets its water from Lake Michigan, but the pipes that transport the water to the majority Black city's residents are older lead pipes that need to be replaced.
Lead filters were provided to residents free of charge, and preliminary results from a recent study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show that they can be very effective at reducing the amount of lead in drinking water. Final results from that study are expected later this month.
"Protecting the health and safety of Benton Harbor residents is a top priority," said Elizabeth Hertel, director of MDHHS. "We understand the bottled water has been appreciated by the community and has helped address families’ concerns about lead exposure. We want to assure them that there are no plans to end free, bottled water distribution while pipes are being replaced across the city.”
In December of 2021, tests showed for the first time in three years that lead levels did not exceed Michigan's standards.
Residents are still encouraged to use bottled water for cooking, drinking, brushing teeth, rinsing foods and mixing powdered infant formula as part of an accelerated, across-the-board effort to reduce the risk of exposure to lead in drinking water while the city replaces all lead service lines.
Nearly 320,000 cases of bottled water have been provided to City of Benton Harbor families since September of 2021.
As of Feb. 8, 2022, more than 400 service lines have been replaced and about 3,900 lead or suspected lead lines still need to be replaced. The goal is to complete the replacement of the estimated 3,900 remaining lead service lines by Spring 2023.
Get all of the information on how and where to pick up the free bottled water in Benton Harbor here.
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