(DOWAGIAC) – The City of Dowagiac is asking its residents to take some extra precautions after elevated lead levels were found in houses around the City.

In a media release on the City’s website, Officials say lead levels were higher than the lead Action Level of 15 parts per billion in more than 10% of homes sampled in the City between June and September of 2022.

Dowagiac City Manager Kevin Anderson says the water is not the problem, but the pipes. He says the water coming from the ground and the City’s retrievement plants does not have lead in it. Anderson says it’s when the water starts to move into the homes and businesses where there is a series of places that have lead service leaks.

The City is offering some steps to take to reduce citizen’s exposure to lead.

If you do not have a lead service line, you should run the water for 30 seconds to two minutes, or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature. If you do have a lead service line, you should run the water for at least five minutes to flush water from your home or building’s plumbing and the lead service line.

City officials say you should not boil your water or use hot water for drinking, preparing food, cooking or preparing baby formula. Boiling water will not reduce the amount of lead.

In addition, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services recommends every household should use a certified lead filter to reduce lead from the drinking water, especially households that have a child living there, or one that visits frequently.

The MDHHS offers free lead-reducing filters and replacement cartridges to eligible households. The criteria to get one are: the house has a child under the age of 19 on Medicaid living there; or there is a pregnant woman on Medicaid living there.

If you don’t qualify for the free MDHHS filters, the City of Dowagiac will provide one filter per household that is served by the City’s water utility. You can get your filter at Dowagiac City Hall, Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM, Saturday October 7 from 10 AM until 2 PM and Saturday, October 14 from 10 AM until 2 PM.

You can also get a filter at the Van Buren-Cass District Health Department.