Despite knowing that lead was common in the Benton Harbor water distribution system, Mayor Marcus Muhammad did nothing. This was a crime against residents.
In 2018, as a system serving less than 50,000 residents, Benton Harbor was not required to implement corrosion control treatment until it exceeded the lead action level. Nevertheless, the common presence of lead in the system made Benton Harbor a ticking time bomb. The question was not whether it would exceed the lead action level, but when. Mayor Muhammad did nothing and now has blood
on his hands. We have no idea how many residents may have died from kidney, liver, or heart disease, or brain damage due to water contamination.
While the Benton Harbor 2018 survey conducted by EGLE identified lead as a potential
issue, it did not provide recommendations aimed at ensuring Benton Harbor was proactively addressing the problem. It stated that the presence of lead in the distribution
system is notable and that the majority of service lines contained lead. Regarding corrosion control treatment, the sanitary survey recommended that the Mayor continue to optimize the treatment system and the distribution system operation to minimize lead releases, but failed to note that the city was not utilizing any treatment to prevent the corrosion of lead pipes at the time.
Once the Benton Harbor water system was required to implement a corrosion control treatment after it exceeded the lead action level, the process for selecting and implementing corrosion control treatment ran afoul of the EPA guidance. When a system that is not utilizing any corrosion control treatment exceeds the lead, the State must make a choice.
It must either designate optimal corrosion control treatment or require the local water system to conduct a study to gather more information before it designates the optimal corrosion control treatment.
The EPA has issued guidance to assist states with making decisions. Relevant to Benton Harbor, that guidance recommends the following:
If the water system has lead service lines, the state should require the water system to conduct a corrosion control study. Water system seeking to utilize blending phosphates as a corrosion control treatment should do so with caution and, if used, states should require a demonstration study of additional monitoring, or both.
In Benton Harbor, the Mayor and EGLE failed to follow the EPA Guidance highlighted above both in regards to the corrosion control study and implementation of the corrosion control treatment.
We must confront local, state, and federal government. The Benton Harbor Community Water Council became a whistleblower, with threats from Mayor Marcus Muhammad and Governor Whitmer. They were forced to provide clean safe water to Benton Harbor. We must replace evil with good. It's all about the people. Let's save the people.
Rev Edward Pinkney
