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Summary with Questions & Answers
Water Treatment Notice
The City of Birmingham mailed a notice to all Birmingham residents on Thursday, September 21, 2023 as required by State law, advising one of ten water samples collected in June of 2023 resulted in an orthophosphate level slightly below the required Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Water Quality Parameters (WQP). The City and Southeastern Oakland County Water Authority (SOCWA) believe the non-compliant sample produced a false low WQP due to it being inadvertently collected from a utility sink that was no longer in use and had been sitting stagnant awaiting demolition. Standing water should not be used for water sampling. A subsequent sample collected at the same site from an active sink in July of 2023 was found to meet all EGLE requirements.
“We consider the health, safety and welfare of our residents and water consumers in the City of Birmingham to be of paramount importance,” said Birmingham City Manager Jana Ecker. “It is important for residents to know this is a potential treatment issue, and the sample in question and all water delivered to residents is safe to consume.”
SOCWA provides routine water testing, including WQP monitoring, as a service to Birmingham and other member communities. For WQP monitoring in Birmingham, SOCWA tests water samples from 10 locations every quarter. One of the 10 locations used for WQP monitoring is the Whole Foods store located at 2100 East Maple Road. Unbeknownst to SOCWA, Whole Foods reconfigured their store and had discontinued use of the food court area. When SOCWA collected the June 2023 WQP monitoring sample, they collected water from a sink in the former food court area, which had been sitting stagnant for an extended period of time awaiting demolition.
“The sample at issue from the Whole Foods food court sink should be disregarded because that source was not in active service and the results are not representative of the site,” said SOCWA General Manager Jeffrey McKeen.
Orthophosphate is added to water to prevent pipe corrosion. All tests show no indication of pipe corrosion. Residents do not need to boil water or take other corrective actions. All water being delivered to Birmingham residents and tenants is in compliance with the Safe Water Drinking Act. The City will increase water sampling over the next year per EGLE requirements.
For more information, residents may view Questions and Answers below or contact SOCWA Operations Manager Bob Jackovich at bobj@socwa.org, (248) 288-5150 or 3910 West Webster Road, Royal Oak, Michigan 48073.
Documentation
Follow this link to download the entire notice and documentation mailed to residents on September 21, 2023, including a letter from Birmingham City Manager Jana Ecker, the notice, letter from SOCWA and letter from City Attorney Mary Kucharek to EGLE.
Exhibits Referenced in the Letter from City Attorney Mary Kucharek to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
Exhibit A - Whole Foods plumbing permit
Exhibit B - Letter from Whole Foods
Exhibit C - Whole Foods Plumbing Inspection
Exhibit D - Letter from SOCWA
Press Release
Summary with Questions & Answers
The City of Birmingham recently mailed a notice regarding water quality as required by State law, stating one of the 10 samples collected in June of 2023 had an orthophosphate level slightly below the required Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) water quality parameters. The City and Southeastern Oakland County Water Authority (SOCWA) believe the non-compliant water sample resulted in a false low Water Quality Parameter (WQP) level due to the sample being inadvertently collected from a utility sink that was no longer in use and had been sitting stagnant awaiting demolition. The sample was unreliable and not an accurate and true representation or depiction of our safe drinking water.
We consider the health, safety and welfare of our residents and water consumers in the City of Birmingham to be of paramount importance. We feel confident that the water being delivered to our residents and tenants is in compliance with the Safe Water Drinking Act, and we are confident that we will continue to provide healthy and safe water to the City of Birmingham.
The questions and answers below provide detailed information regarding the notice and Birmingham’s drinking water.
Questions and Answers Regarding the Birmingham Water Notice
SOCWA provides water service to Birmingham and 10 other neighboring communities by purchasing water from the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA).
GLWA treats water, including the addition of orthophosphate for corrosion control. GLWA closely monitors the treated water to ensure compliance with all regulations.
SOCWA provides routine water testing, including WQP monitoring, as a service to Birmingham and other member communities. For WQP monitoring in Birmingham, SOCWA tests water samples from 10 locations in Birmingham every quarter.
One of the 10 locations used for WQP monitoring is the Whole Foods store located at 2100 East Maple Road. Unbeknownst to SOCWA, Whole Foods reconfigured their store and had discontinued use of the food court area. When SOCWA collected the June 2023 WQP monitoring sample, they collected water from a sink in the former food court area, which had been sitting stagnant for an extended period of time awaiting demolition. Had they known the sink was no longer in use, they would have collected water from an active area. A subsequent sample collected at Whole Foods from an active sink in July of 2023 was found to meet all EGLE requirements.
Yes. A detailed letter from SOCWA General Manager Jeffrey McKeen states, “The sample at issue from the Whole Foods food court sink should be disregarded because that source was not in active service and the results are not representative of the site.” Follow this link to download the letter.
No. There is no lead or copper in Birmingham’s water.
No. You do not need to boil water or take other corrective actions.
Yes. A test at the same site was completed in July resulting in WQP levels within the normal range. The City will increase water sampling over the next year per EGLE requirements.
Yes. All water being delivered to Birmingham residents and tenants is in compliance with the Safe Water Drinking Act. The sample was determined to be out of compliance pertaining to a potential treatment issue due to slightly low levels of orthophosphate, which is added to water to prevent pipe corrosion. As stated previously, the City and SOCWA believe the low reading was inaccurate and an anomaly, as standing water should not be used for water sampling. All tests show no indication of pipe corrosion.
For more information, contact SOCWA Operations Manager Bob Jackovich at bobj@socwa.org or (248) 288-5150.