KALAMAZOO, MI -- The city of Kalamazoo is in the process of giving out thousands of lead water filters to residents in a partnership with the state of Michigan.
The goal of the initiative is to distribute 7,000 lead water filters for free to residents in the city, Public Services Director James Baker told MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette.
Kalamazoo’s groundwater does not contain lead, according to city officials. However, lead can enter drinking water when it is in contact with pipes, solder, interior plumbing, fittings or fixtures that contain lead, and some non-copper service lines remain in the city’s water system.
Like other municipalities in Michigan, Kalamazoo is in the process of transitioning its water system over to copper service lines, which is mandated by the state. The 7,000 goal of distributing filters roughly matches the amount of customers connected to non-copper service lines, about 7,000 residences and businesses, according to the city.
City employees have been going door-to-door in specific neighborhoods to offer the free water filters. They are focused on Kalamazoo Core Neighborhoods that correspond to locations that are likely to include homes that may have lead service lines and/or lead paint.
The core neighborhoods identified as most in need are Eastside, Edison, Northside, Oakwood and Vine.
Despite the door-knocking effort in certain neighborhoods, the lead water filter distribution is open to all residents and it was developed in an effort to be more proactive to encourage filter usage, Baker said. Any customer can request a filter regardless of current service line material.
Residents and customers also can stop by the office of public services at 415 Stockbridge Ave. or visit the public services web page for more information.
The 7,000-filter distribution program is a partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the city of Kalamazoo, Baker said. Filters provided specific to the distribution efforts since July 15 are funded through the state agency.
As of Friday, Sept. 23, the city of Kalamazoo had received 5,757 filter requests from Kalamazoo families, Baker said, through the program that delivers filters to the doors of residents.
Lead water filters are being distributed to Kalamazoo residents as the city works to proactively encourage more filter use. The city is also going door-to-door in some areas while working to replace all non-copper service lines in the city.
The city of Kalamazoo will also continue a door-knocking campaign through Friday, Sept. 30, Baker said.
Employees going door to door provide filters, along with links and access to resources about lead paint and lead pipes via a QR code, phone number and web site.
In addition to the filter distribution program, public services is replacing lead services throughout Kalamazoo.
Under Michigan’s Lead and Copper rule that was revised in 2018 after the Flint crisis, every utility is required to replace 5 percent of its lead lines each year and have them all done in 20 years. The state allows for some extension of that deadline.
Since 2018, the city of Kalamazoo has replaced more than 500 non-copper water services every year. More than 900 were replaced in 2021.
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Kalamazoo lead service replacements are funded by utility rate payers, the State of Michigan’s Drinking Water Revolving Fund, and the Foundation for Excellence, Baker said.
View progress on the city’s interactive lead replacement web site.
The city of Kalamazoo is tracking the number of lead service line replacements completed each year.
Customers receiving a lead service line replacement will be given a filter at the time of construction, whether participating in the free filter distribution program or not, the city said.
The replacement project has reached substantial completion of the Eastside Neighborhood, Eastwood Neighborhood (Kalamazoo Township), and Parchment, along with active work currently on 37 streets in the Northside Neighborhood and work in preparation for 2023 Major Streets projects, the city said.
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