BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – The City of Battle Creek has identified a drinking water standard violation affecting water customers in Battle Creek, Springfield, Emmett Township, and portions of Pennfield Township.
Impacted customers will receive a letter from the city’s water division later this week or early next week with more information. The letter will also be available on the city’s website, battlecreekmi.gov.
Quarterly testing from February showed that total trihalomethanes (TTHM) levels in the water system exceed the standard of 80 parts per billion (ppb). This average was calculated over the past 12 months.
The rise in TTHM levels is not an immediate health emergency; you do not need to boil water or take other corrective actions. The city will notify the public within 24 hours if the situation changes, and the water is no longer safe to drink.
Prolonged exposure to high levels of TTHM over many years may affect the liver, kidneys, or central nervous system, and increase cancer risk. Although no precautions are recommended, if you or a member of your household have a compromised immune system, are an infant, or are elderly, you should consult your healthcare provider.
The exceedance is likely due to drilling and aquifer testing new wells at the Verona Well Field, a project that began two years ago, with well drilling starting last August. At the recommendation of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), to keep drinking water safe from bacteria, the city used additional disinfectants which have likely resulted in higher TTHM levels. In December 2024, the city identified a TTHM exceedance affecting only the Emmett Township portions of the public water system and notified those affected customers. Battle Creek’s Utility Administrator, Perry Hart, said it’s not surprising to see the increase in TTHMs at all sampling points in the municipal water supply.
“Our existing well network is aging and showing signs of deterioration, which is why our well field rehabilitation project is so critical to complete. We need a reliable water source and secure infrastructure to use it,” Hart said. This project is expected to be completed, with all new wells operational, by the end of 2025.
The city is working with the State of Michigan to monitor the situation and monitor the situation and reduce TTHM levels as quickly as possible. While the city is taking immediate action to reduce TTHM levels throughout the water system, we expect this process will take up to 12 to 18 months to complete.
The city is conducting additional sampling activities at the Verona Well Field and at various points within the distribution systems and sharing data with the State’s Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division. Additionally, the city conducted an operational evaluation to identify practices that can be used to reduce current levels of TTHM in the water system. Battle Creek, Springfield, and Emmett Township will conduct an evaluation each quarter until the level of TTHM drops below the drinking water standard of 80 ppb.
While TTHM levels in Pennfield Township are within allowable limits, customers have a right to know that treated water in the Pennfield system, east of the Battle Creek River, has exceeded the limit. Pennfield conducts annual sampling, and the next sample will be taken later this month to assess current TTHM levels for that portion of the water system.
If you have questions regarding TTHM exceedances in the Battle Creek Water System and what it means for you, please use the following contacts:
- Health-related questions: MDHHS Toxicology and Environmental Health hotline at 800-648-6942, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Water System/sampling questions: Perry Hart, Battle Creek’s Utility Administrator, at 269-966-3481 or plhart@battlecreekmi.gov, or in person at the Battle Creek Department of Public Works, 150 S. Kendall St., Battle Creek, MI 49037.
- Media inquiries: Contact the Communications Office at 269-966-3311 or email publicinput@battlecreekmi.gov.
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