Public Notice for Water - August 12, 2024
We want to ensure you have accurate information about drinking water quality monitoring on campus.
As a university that maintains and supplies water to its campus community, MSU is required to monitor your drinking water for specific parameters on a regular basis. Results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether your drinking water meets health standards.
We are notifying you, with details of two Public Notices, that:
- We collected a sample in March 2023 that was three days after it should have been collected, and
- We did not collect all required samples in July 2023.
What should I do? There is nothing you need to do at this time.
This is not an emergency. You do not need to boil water or use an alternative source of water at this time. Even though this is not an emergency, as our customers you have a right to know what happened and what we did to correct the situation.
We appreciate your understanding for these procedural violations and have taken steps to ensure timely and complete water quality monitoring going forward.
View the 2023 Campus Water Quality Report.
(1) MONITORING REQUIREMENTS NOTICE: TIMING
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER
Monitoring Requirements Not Met for Michigan State University
Water Quality Parameter (WQP1) testing requirements specify that a sample be collected every two weeks to test for specific analytes to monitor the effectiveness of our corrosion control program. During February 19, 2023, to March 4, 2023, we did not collect samples to test for all required analytes so we cannot be sure of the quality of your drinking water during that time. However, this violation does not pose a threat to your water supply.
What should I do? There is nothing you need to do at this time.
This is not an emergency. You do not need to boil water or use an alternative source of water at this time. Even though this is not an emergency, as our customers you have a right to know what happened and what we did to correct the situation.
The table below lists the WQP1 required analytes we did not test for, how often we are required to sample, how many samples are required to be taken, how many samples that were taken, when the samples should have been taken, and the date we collected follow-up samples for these analytes.
Analytes | Required sampling frequency | Number of samples taken | When samples should have been taken between | Date samples were taken by |
WQP1 | 1 sample every two weeks | 0 | February 19, 2023 to March 4, 2023 | March 7, 2023 |
What happened? What is being done? We did not collect and test samples for all required parameters within the required sampling period. Monitoring of Water Quality Parameters (WQPs) is an essential part of a corrosion control treatment program and is used to evaluate the potential aggressiveness of water on plumbing and fixtures. WQP1 sampling is required to safeguard public health. We collected samples to test for the analytes listed in the table above within three (3) days of the required period. We revised our WQP1 sampling and test schedule to ensure monitoring for all required analytes is completed every two weeks as required.
1WQP are a group of analytes that are indicators of water corrosivity, including parameters such as pH, alkalinity, calcium, conductivity, temperature, sulfate, chloride, and orthophosphate.
(2) MONITORING REQUIREMENTS NOTICE: SAMPLE NUMBER
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER
Monitoring Requirements Not Met for Michigan State University
During July 1 to July 31, 2023, we did not complete all required testing for total coliform bacteria and chlorine residuals, and therefore cannot be sure of the quality of your drinking water during that time.
What should I do? There is nothing you need to do at this time.
This is not an emergency. You do not need to boil water or use an alternative source of water at this time. Even though this is not an emergency, as our customers you have a right to know what happened and what we did to correct the situation.
The table below lists the parameters we did not test for, how often we are required to sample, how many samples are required to be taken, how many samples that were taken, when the samples should have been taken, and the date we collected follow-up samples for these parameters.
Contaminant | Required sampling frequency | Number of samples taken | When samples should have been taken between | Date samples were taken by |
Total Coliform Bacteria | 14 samples per month | 11 | July 1, 2023 to | August 1, 2023 to |
Analyte | Required sampling frequency | Number of samples taken | When samples should have been taken between | Date samples were taken by |
Chorine Residual | 10 samples per month | 4 | July 1, 2023 to | August 1, 2023 to |
What happened? What is being done? We did not collect all required samples within the required sampling period to test for the required parameters listed in the table above. We revised our sample collection procedure to add a verification step to ensure compliance with the required sample and test schedule.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
The MSU 2023 Water Quality Annual Report can be found online.
It is understandable that you may have questions about this notification. With that in mind, we have developed several frequently asked questions and answers to help address the most common inquiries which can be found here.
For more information, please contact Sherri Jett, jettsher@msu.edu, (517) 353-1760 or Thomas Silsby, silsbyth@msu.edu, (517) 884-7109.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
This notice is being sent by Michigan State University.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the state and federal regulatory requirements?
The Federal Safe Drinking Water Act and the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act 399 of 1976 outlines rules and directions for operation of the distribution system.
- How often do you test the water quality?
The distributed water quality is tested at varying locations across campus on a rolling two-week basis.
- What is being tested?
MSU drinking water is tested for a wide range of constituents including chloride, hardness, iron content, nitrate, nitrite, sodium, sulfate, bacteria, copper, lead, fluoride, barium, disinfectants, disinfectant byproducts, and radionuclides. The measurements are included in the annual water quality report.
- What is an analyte?
An analyte is any substance or chemical constituent that is of interest in an analytical procedure. This includes all of the constituents that MSU drinking water is tested for.
- What is a phosphate additive? Is this good to have or not?
Phosphate is provided for metal corrosion control inside of the distribution piping network. This is a vital component used to protect the integrity of the distribution piping.
- Why did we not monitor Water Quality Parameters1 (WQP)?
The samples were taken on incorrect dates due to misinterpretation of the sampling cycle guidelines.
- Why did it take a year to notify campus?
Campus notification is a follow-up to the annual water quality report that was published in June of 2024. These types of notifications are considered procedural violations that do not impact to water quality or safety and as such, do not have the same exigency that is associated with other types of notifications.
- How was the issue resolved?
Modifying the MSU sample cycle per EGLE requirements and retraining water system operators.
- What materials comprise our pipes?
MSU has a variety of water distribution piping. All piping meets the criteria as outlined by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act and the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act. MSU does not have “lead pipes” or other piping that is primarily comprised of lead.
- Where does the rest of the MSU East Lansing water come from?
View the map of campus water regions.
Region 1 East Lansing Meridian Township Water and Sewer Authority
Region 2 MSU treated distribution system
Region 3 Supplied from the MSU well distribution system
Region 4 Supplied from the MSU well distribution system
Region 5 Supplied from the Lansing Board of Water and Light (LBWL)
- What facilities along the southwest border of campus are supplied by the Lansing Board of Water and Light (LBWL)?
Lansing Board of Water and Light supplies these facilities
- Horse training and research
- Etymology and etymology field research
- MSU Environmental Health and Safety
East Lansing/Meridian Township supplies the following:
- Breslin Center
- Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center
- Brody complex
- 1855 Place
- What is in North Campus?
Everything north of Mt. Hope is considered North Campus and is on the treated MSU water system. All water used in North Campus is first sent to the MSU Water Treatment Facility where it is treated and stored for distribution throughout campus.
All of MSU campus south of Mt. Hope is part of the well distribution system. Customers that use water on the south campus system have point-of-use water treatment where needed such as in-facility water softeners.
- What is a hydrologic cycle?
The hydrologic cycle involves the continuous circulation of water in the earth-atmosphere system. At its core, the water cycle is the motion of the water from the ground to the atmosphere and back again.
