Water Treatment: The City of Clare, Michigan

Water Treatment

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Clare’s Water Treatment Department is responsible for the overall operation, maintenance, and design of the water and wastewater systems. Our water treatment system consists of a treatment plant, four wells, two water towers, and a booster station. The D2 water plant has a supply design of 1.4 million gallons per day (MGD). Our wastewater treatment system consists of a wastewater treatment facility and six lift stations. The Class B wastewater treatment plant has a design flow of 1.35 MGD. Both water and wastewater labs run daily water analysis on both water and wastewater to keep the City of Clare compliant with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). Our water meets or exceeds EPA and EGLE standards. The Water Treatment Department is also responsible for all reporting for both systems throughout the year.

Dale Clark

Dale Clark

Water/Waste Water Treatment Superintendent

PFOS/PFOA INFORMATION

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has begun a statewide initiative to test drinking water from all schools that use well water and community water supplies. The test is looking for a group of manmade chemicals called per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). EGLE is taking this precautionary step of testing these drinking water sources to determine if public health actions are needed.

It is not uncommon to find low levels of PFAS in drinking water supplies, as PFAS can be found in fire-fighting foams, stain repellants, nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, food wrappers, and many other household products. They do not break down in the environment and move easily into water.

The EPA set a Lifetime Health Advisory (LHA) level for two PFAS in drinking water, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). The LHA level is 70 parts per trillion (ppt, equal to 70 ng/L) for PFOA and PFOS combined, or individually if only one is present. The EPA has not set health advisory levels for other PFAS compounds. The State of Michigan is using 70 ppt for decision making purposes.

The City of Clare was tested by AECOM, EGLE’s contractor. The test results can be found on the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team website, www.michigan.gov/pfasresponse . The results show that of the PFOA and PFOS tested, 3 parts per trillion (3ppt) were found in the water. The level is below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) lifetime health advisory (LHA).

The City of Clare is committed to providing our customers with quality drinking water. As your water supplier, we are working closely with EGLE to maintain the quality of your water.

For health-related questions, contact the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) at 1-800-648-6942 or visit one of the websites below.

For information on PFAS including possible health outcomes, visit these websites:

State of Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) website serving as the main resource for public information on PFAS contamination in Michigan www.michigan.gov/pfasresponse
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ASTDR) website including health information, exposure, and links to additional resources www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas
United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) website including basic information, U.S. EPA actions, and links to informational resources www.epa.gov/pfas

Click on the following links to retrieve copies of the State of Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy quarterly PFOS/PFOA quarterly sampling reports for the City of Clare.

If you would like additional information please contact Clare Water Superintendent Dale Clark by e-mail at dclark@cityofclare.org or by telephone at 989-386-2321.