Charter Township of Marquette 2024 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

Marquette Township routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. For the most part, the table in this report shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2024. However, EGLE and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allow us to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations do not change frequently. Some of our data, though representative, may be more than one year old.

The following tables show the results of our water quality tests. Every regulated contaminant we detected in the water, even in the smallest traces, is listed here. The tables contain the name of each substance, the highest level allowed by regulation (MCL), the ideal goals for public health (MCLG), the amount detected, the usual sources of such contamination, footnotes explaining our findings, and a key to units of measurement.

Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) – one part per million corresponds to one gallon per million gallons, or a single penny in $10,000.

Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter (ug/L) – one part per billion corresponds to one gallon per billion gallons, or a single penny in $10,000,000.

Parts per trillion (ppt) or Nanograms per liter (ng/L) – one part per trillion corresponds to one gallon per trillion gallons, or a single penny in $10,000,000,000.

Action Level (AL) – the concentration of a contaminant, which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements, which a water system must follow.

Treatment Technique (TT) – A treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) – The “Maximum Allowed” is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) - The “Goal” is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG)  - The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

ND - Not detected in sample.

Well District -Areas serviced by township well water (west of Commerce Drive and south of US41).

Surface Water District – Areas serviced by water purchased from the City of Marquette.  Trowbridge (east of Commerce and north of US41).

Substances Measured In Drinking Water

Disinfectants and Disinfection By-Products

< >The Chlorine “Level Detected” was calculated using an average from residuals obtained during bacteriological sample collection.Surface Water District: Chlorine “Level Detect” calculated using an average from residuals obtained during bacteriological sample collection.E. coli MCL violation occurs if: (1) routine and repeat samples are total coliform-positive and either is E. coli-positive, or (2) the supply fails to take all required repeat samples following E. coli-positive routine sample, or (3) the supply fails to analyze total coliform-positive repeat sample for E. coli.

Inorganic Contaminants

¹ Average of the 8 samples taken from 2 sample sites (quarterly)

²Sodium is not a regulated contaminant

The Township was required to take 20 lead/copper samples in 2024. All samples were found to contain concentrations well below established MCLs. To continue fulfilling our mandated requirements, the Township is required to take another 10 lead/copper samples by September of 2025.

General Health Information Provided by EPA

Lead can cause serious health effects in people of all ages, especially pregnant people, infants (both formula-fed and breastfed), and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and parts used in service lines and in home plumbing. Marquette Township is responsible for providing high quality drinking water and removing lead pipes but cannot control the variety of materials used in the plumbing in your home. Because lead levels may vary over time, lead exposure is possible even when your tap sampling results do not detect lead at one point in time. You can help protect yourself and your family by identifying and removing lead materials within your home plumbing and taking steps to reduce your family's risk. Using a filter, certified by an American National Standards Institute accredited certifier to reduce lead, is effective in reducing lead exposures. Follow the instructions provided with the filter to ensure the filter is used properly. Use only cold water for drinking, cooking, and making baby formula. Boiling water does not remove lead from water. Before using tap water for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula, flush your pipes for several minutes. You can do this by running your tap, taking a shower, doing laundry or a load of dishes. If you have a lead service line or galvanized requiring replacement service line, you may need to flush your pipes for at least 5 minutes to flush water from both your home plumbing and the lead service line. If you are concerned about lead in your water and wish to have your water tested, contact Marquette Township at 906-228-6220 ext. 106 and for available resources information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available at https://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Our water supply has 0 lead service lines and 0 service lines of unknown material out of a total of 1,307 service lines. Over the course of 4 years of inspecting and hydro excavating residents curb box shutoffs for verification purposes for egle.

To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations, which limit the amounts of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800-426-4791).

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

• Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
• Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
• Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.
• Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population.  Immune compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Marquette Source Water Assessment

In order to help protect Public Water Supplies, Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1996 and provided resources for state agencies to conduct Source Water Assessments (SWA). The SWA’s analyze the sensitivity of the surface water source to natural conditions, conduct contaminant source inventories, and determine the susceptibility of the source to potential contamination. Sensitivity is determined from the natural setting of the source water, and indicates natural protection afforded the source water. Susceptibility identifies factors within the community’s source water area that may pose a risk to the water supply. The Source Water Assessments were completed for every surface water supply source in Michigan. It is a requirement of EGLE that the findings of the SWA be published. The Marquette SWA was completed in 2003.

You can view the assessment at the City of Marquette website, www.mqtcty.org.  If you have any questions concerning the SWA, contact the Water Filtration Plant at 228-0488.

A Final Word

Water is a valuable natural resource. Safe, reliable, good tasting drinking water is collected, treated, tested, and delivered to your home and business 24 hours a day. Use it wisely and with confidence.

For more information about our water quality, please contact Marquette Township Superintendent of Public Works Leonard Bodenus at (906) 228-6220 ext. 106 or lbodenus@marquettetownship.org. This report is also posted at www.marquettetownship.org. and the Marquette Township Office Complex at 1000 Commerce Drive.

For more information about safe drinking water, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at WWW.EPA.GOV/SAFEWATER/.