The annual report details the results of water quality monitoring during 2024, as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act. This report explains where your drinking water comes from, what is in it and what steps we take to keep it safe. At the end of each year, we put together a Water Quality Report (Consumer Confidence Report).
View Report
Use the report library to find the past years' reports.
View Library
Find out exactly what is in your water. This analysis contains information about calcium, alkalinity, hardness levels, etc. in Lake Michigan and drinking water.
View Analysis(PDF, 181KB)
In 1991, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a regulation called the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) that requires water suppliers to control lead and copper in drinking water using corrosion control measures. Corrosion control is an effective way to reduce the release of these metals from plumbing materials into drinking water.
We recently completed our annual lead and copper sampling. No samples exceeded the lead action level of 15 parts per billion or the copper action level of 1.3 ppm set by the EPA and the State of Michigan. Our 90th percentile for lead is 6 parts per billion (ppb) and 0.0 parts per million (ppm) for copper.
Visit the link below for more information about the Lead and Copper Rule and sampling results.
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PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of man-made chemicals that are resistant to heat, water, and oil. For decades, they have been used in industrial applications and consumer products such as firefighting foam, stain repellants, waterproof clothing, metal plating, carpeting and non-stick cookware. In August 2020, EGLE established maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for seven PFAS compounds.
Visit the link below for more information about PFAS and sampling results.
More Info
Background
Fluoride is a naturally occurring element found in many ground and surface waters. In the 1920s and 1930s a link was made between fluoride concentrations in drinking water and a reduction in tooth decay. In 1945, Grand Rapids became the first city in the world to fluoridate its drinking water to study this link. The Grand Rapids water fluoridation study was originally sponsored by the U.S. Surgeon General but was taken over by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shortly after NIH's inception in 1948. During the 15-year study, researchers monitored the rate of tooth decay among Grand Rapids' almost 30,000 schoolchildren. After just 11 years, the cavity rate among Grand Rapids children born after fluoride was added to the water supply dropped more than 60 percent. This finding, considering the thousands of participants in the study, amounted to a giant scientific breakthrough that promised to revolutionize dental care, making tooth decay for the first time in history a preventable disease for most people. You can read more about this study and the history of fluoride in our drinking water from the NIH. Since that time, thousands of studies have been conducted over the past 60 years to confirm these findings.
Community Water Fluoridation
The City of Grand Rapids’ drinking water is carefully fluoridated to the optimal level established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services guidelines. This level, 0.7 milligrams per liter, is the optimal level according to these U.S. agencies as well as the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. The City monitors and measures the concentration of fluoride to assure it remains within this guidance. You can find a copy of our annual water quality reports on our website. This report lists the amount of fluoride in our drinking water.