LANSING, Mich. — Michigan lawmakers are working to combat dangerous levels of lead in drinking water at schools and childcare centers around the state.
On Thursday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a three-bill package of non-partisan legislation aimed at making Michigan's drinking water safer for children.
One of the new laws requires all schools and childcare facilities in the state to install water lead filters. The legislation is funded with $50 million earmarked in the state budget for installing the lead filters.
"There has not been a bigger moment in the lead poisoning fight since lead paint was banned 45 years ago," said Charlotte Jameson, Chief Policy Officer for the Michigan Environmental Council. "Momentum is on our side. We can make lead poisoning history, not current reality."
Between 2020 and 2022, a voluntary study of lead levels in 114 schools and childcare facilities in Michigan revealed that 89% of the facilities had dangerous amounts of lead in them. Safe Water Engineering LLC conducted the study.
"Michigan school water data shows that 89% of sampled buildings found detectable lead in their water," said Elin Betanzo of Safe Water Engineering. "Since Birmingham Public Schools switched its drinking water to all filter stations, there hasn't been any lead in any of their filtered water samples. The Filter First law ensures that all drinking water in Michigan schools and childcare centers will be filtered, improving water quality at more than 3,000 schools statewide and achieving results just like Birmingham."
Whitmer also signed two other pieces of legislation that will require schools and childcare centers to develop a drinking water management plan as well as requiring them to conduct routine sampling and testing for lead.
"Lead stunts mental, physical, and social development. Young children, whose minds and bodies are growing most, are especially at risk. No amount of lead is safe," the Michigan Environmental Council said in a release.
This new bipartisan legislation package comes after Michigan received a "F" in a nationwide report that assessed laws and regulations pertaining to lead contamination of schools’ drinking water.
These new pieces of legislation will increase that grade from an "F" to an "A."
Whitmer also recently signed bills that guarantees children between the ages of 12 and 24 months access to lead testing for free.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
