Three Rivers residents demand transparency from city over lead-contaminated water issues
THREE RIVERS, Mich. — Concerns over lead-polluted water in the City of Three Rivers were voiced yet again at Tuesday night's commission meeting.
City officials and community members have been discussing this issue ever since homes in the area tested positive for lead in August.
"We just want a little transparency," Vernis Mims Jr., a Three Rivers resident and was a mayoral candidate this year, said. "We want to be able to know our elected officials have our best in mind. We learned from Flint, we don’t want to be the next Flint."
City Mayor Tom Lowry said it's not so much a local issue, but a nationwide issue.
"What we're experiencing in Three Rivers is nationwide," Mayor Lowry said. "Every single house that's roughly 57 years or older probably has a very good chance there's a lead line that's been used to connect the house to a natural water pipe. Water as it comes out of the system is fine, it's where it goes in the houses that have the lead."
The city recently increased water and sewage rates, and members of the Three Rivers Clean Water Campaign feel people should not pay more for water they cannot drink.
"Now you all are raising our water bill, but what are you going to do about the water?" Three Rivers resident Gina Foster said. "It is not fair for us to have to pay for water we can't use 100%."
Foster shared she has had to spend $600 a month on bottled water because she cannot use the city's water.
Mayor Lowry urged community members to take issue with state representatives.
"Most water systems in the state of Michigan are not spending one penny and are waiting entirely for state and federal dollars," Mayor Lowry said. "We are going to be proactive. We are going to start replacing lead lines as we know them, before we get state and federal money."
After water in Three Rivers was found to be above the State of Michigan's action level, the city is required by law to replace 5% of its total lead service lines each year, or 100% replacement in 20 years.
"My daughter is 13 years old and she lives here," Mims Jr. said. "In 20 years, she’s going to be 33 and most likely I'm going to have a grandchild by then, not sure but maybe so, with that being said, that’s generations and generations of our people just being left by the wayside."
"Everywhere sold lead pipes 100 years ago," Mayor Lowry said. "We're anticipating that 1,000 households might have an issue, and we have 20 years to do it."