The City of Morenci is committed to improving our water treatment system to ensure the highest quality water for our residents. In collaboration with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and supported by funding from a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), we will be upgrading our iron removal filter media, a project that involves the creation of new manway hatches, removal of existing filter media, and placement of new iron removal filter media into each tank. This will reduce the raw water iron residual from .8mg/L per day to almost nothing.
Effective at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, June 10, 2024, the City of Morenci’s Water Treatment Plant will be bypassing iron removal filtration to allow for these upgrades. The iron removal filter is one part of our comprehensive water treatment process. The other two parts, chemical oxidation (adding chlorine to the water) and aeration (injecting air into raw untreated water), will continue to operate as usual. All water will still be treated for disinfection. No boil water notices are needed for this work. Residents will be informed when the iron removal filters are back in service.
While the iron removal filters are offline, you may notice a temporary increase in the iron content of your water. The amount of additional iron should leave an iron residual of around 0.8 mg/L; however, on any given day, the City of Morenci produces drinking water with an iron residual ranging from 0.15 mg/L to 0.7 mg/L. With these current and anticipated iron levels, we do not expect a significant change in water coloration during project construction.
If you have any questions regarding this notice, please contact the City of Morenci at (517) 458-6828.
Frequently Asked Questions About Iron in Drinking Water
Question: Is iron hazardous in my drinking water?
Answer: Iron is not hazardous to health, but it is considered a secondary or aesthetic contaminant. Essential for good health, iron helps transport oxygen in the blood. Most tap water in the United States supplies approximately 5 percent of the dietary requirement for iron.
Question: Does iron stain and should we be worried about our clothes?
Answer: Concentrations of iron as low as 0.3 mg/L may leave reddish brown stains on fixtures, tableware and laundry. While we don’t anticipate water discoloration leading to staining during this project, there are commercial and household products available to remove iron staining if it occurs.
Question: What is the purpose of the filter media changeout?
Answer: The purpose is to reduce the iron residual from the raw water (0.8 mg/L per day) to almost nothing. This will improve the quality of your drinking water.
Question: Is our drinking water safe to drink?
Answer: Yes, our drinking water is safe to drink. We continue to conduct bacteriological testing of our drinking water and are continuing to disinfect our drinking water with chlorine each day. Our daily chlorine residual is around 1.0 mg/L.
Question: Is there a boil water notice in effect for this work that is ongoing?
Answer: No, there is no need for a boil water notice. Boil water notices are placed into effect when there is a loss of water pressure under 20 psi or a failed bacteriological test. None of that will occur with the changeout of the iron filter media.