The Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority (YCUA) needs homeowners' cooperation to identify lead plumbing for remediation as part of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) effort called "Get the Lead Out." YCUA is reviewing historical records and continuing an inventory investigation process to find lead service lines for removal in its service area, which includes the city and township of Ypsilanti.

Luther Blackburn, executive director of YCUA, says his main message to the public is that YCUA drinking water is safe, but there might be lead pipes in YCUA customers' homes. That's because municipalities or public utility authorities are typically only responsible for lines in the public right of way. 

"If you think about an electrical panel in your home, DTE has the responsibility up to a certain point, and the homeowner has a responsibility up to a certain point," Blackburn says. "Historically, our responsibility has only been to the right-of-way or sidewalk, and everything downstream of there was private property." 
Doug CoombeYCUA Executive Director Luther Blackburn.
Blackburn says that after Flint's heavily publicized water crisis, during which lead leached from pipes into the city's water supply, many ordinances about lead have changed. Blackburn says "Get the Lead Out" is just a "different iteration" of similar efforts. In summer of 2024, YCUA received a Technical, Managerial, and Financial grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to identify lead service lines. Blackburn says YCUA has deployed those funds "in parallel" with EPA funds from the Biden-Harris administration's "Get the Lead Out” initiative. Blackburn says his team at YCUA did a lot of public engagement, including sending out letters, putting door hangers on homes, and tabling at public events like Ypsi's Parkridge Summerfest. 

"Historically, YCUA took ownership of what was on the public side but not on the private side, but the last few years, we've worked with homeowners to try to identify what these service line materials are," Blackburn says. 

The Flint water crisis is definitely on Ypsi-area homeowners' minds. It prompted Ypsilanti Township resident Katelyn Zak to do lead testing through YCUA about five years ago. YCUA eventually offered to replace lines in her home.
Doug CoombeKatelyn Zak in front of her home that had its lead service lines replaced by YCUA.
"We have a child and pets," Zak says. "We liked working with YCUA to know that the amount of lead was below actionable levels. Hearing about the Flint water crisis with kids was a definite concern. Now, with the copper line, we don't have to worry."

Lead pipes in homes can contaminate otherwise safe water from YCUA as materials in plumbing corrode. Brass faucets and fixtures purchased before 2014 may also contain lead, and some plumbing installed before 1988 may contain lead-based solder. There could also be lead leaching from goosenecks and service lines connecting homes to water mains. 

Blackburn notes that YCUA has been addressing lead plumbing on the publicly owned side of things for 20 or more years.
courtesy YCUAA lead service line being replaced by YCUA.
"It's only post-Flint that utilities have moved toward replacement on the private side," he says.

Bonnie Wessler, the city of Ypsilanti's director of public works, says she, like Blackburn, is concerned about public perception of the safety of drinking water. She has heard from water agencies across the U.S. that "people turn to bottled water when they don't feel safe." However, she points out, bottled water is "a lot less regulated" than tap water.

In most cases, the cost of replacing lead pipes is on the homeowner. However, there may be state resources available for low-income homeowners. You can learn more about Michigan's Lead Safe program here.

Kristen Schweighoefer, Washtenaw County's environmental health director, says it's best to replace any plumbing in your home that contains lead. If the expense is too great, however, you can make tap water safer by letting it run for 30-60 seconds before drinking it or using it for cooking, since lead can settle out into water that has been sitting in pipes for hours or overnight. 

Schweighoefer also recommends replacing fixtures purchased before 2014, even if they are labeled "lead-free." The regulatory threshold for "lead-free" was reduced from 8% to .25% in 2014.

The Washtenaw County Health Department's Environmental Health Department website has information about how to test for lead in your home. You can click here to learn more about YCUA's "Get the Lead Out" initiative.

Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and editor in Ypsilanti Township and the project manager of On the Ground Ypsilanti. She joined Concentrate as a news writer in early 2017 and is an occasional contributor to other Issue Media Group publications. You may reach her at sarahrigg1@gmail.com.

Photos by Doug Coombe.