Dowagiac urging its residents to take precautions due to elevated lead levels in tap water

DOWAGIAC, Mich - While there are measures in place to deal with the lead-contaminated water, some community members weren't even aware of the contamination and are especially worried because they have young kids.

"Making food all the time, boiling it out doesn’t help, so when I'm cooking macaroni, that’s not helping anybody,” said Angel Hatchew, a resident of Dowagiac.

Just like Benton Harbor did a few years ago, the city of Dowagiac is urging residents to take precautions due to elevated lead levels in tap water.

The latest revised tests show more than 10 percent of homes had lead levels at 17 parts per billion ---above the federal action level of 15 parts per billion.

Experts say no amount of lead is safe to consume, because it can cause learning disabilities, nervous system damage, and other health problems.

Now, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is handing out free water filters.

“You run the water in and out of your tap, you wait about 15 minutes. Filtering process is taking place and then you got clean water that meets every state and federal requirement,” said Don Lyons, Mayor of Dowagiac.

On Division Street here in Dowagiac, work is already underway to replace old underground lead service lines on 47 properties.

Kevin Anderson, the Dowagiac City Manager says the water starts clean, but lead in the pipes and old plumbing fixtures---can contaminate it by the time it hits your faucet.

“This is not a problem with the source water, it comes from wells it comes from the treatment plant, it comes through the pipes to the house this is a situation that has arisen because people may have lead pipes inside their house or have lead service leads that come to the house,” said Anderson.

And Nikyah Covert, a mother of two currently living in Dowagiac, is now experiencing deja vu because she used to live in Flint, Michigan, another city hit by a major water crisis.

‘We find out today, that there's lead in the water and I've already drank this water, so now I'm a little worried, and it sucks coming back into this,” said Covert.

And Nikyah's cousin, Angel Hatchew, a mother of 5 children is concerned for the safety of her kids when it comes to the tap water.

"The biggest problem would be the fact that we prepare food for them and were boiling water to make macaroni and different things, but we didn’t have a heads up about the lead that all that water needed to be filtered out and all that water wasn’t safe for them,” said Hatchew.

The city is now doing free inspections to determine if your water lines contain lead, just call 269-782-2195 to set up an appointment.

Those who don’t qualify for the state-provided filters can get one from the City of Dowagiac at one of two locations:

• City of Dowagiac City Hall – 241 S. Front Street
• 269-782-2195
• Monday through Friday - 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
• Oct 7 - 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• Oct 14 - 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• Van Buren-Cass District Health Department – 302 Main Street
• 269-539-5503
• Monday through Thursday - 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Friday - 8 a.m. - noon

For more information, visit the City of Dowagiac's website.