Burton Residents Receive Drinking Water Notice: Here’s Why

If you live in Burton and found a notice about your drinking water in the mailbox, don't panic. The city says your water is still safe to drink, but residents have a right to know why the letter was sent.

Why Did Burton Send the Drinking Water Notice?

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According to the City of Burton, the issue wasn't with bacteria or contaminated drinking water. Instead, the city didn't meet a state-required treatment standard that's designed to help prevent lead and copper from getting into drinking water through older pipes.

Now, I know hearing the words "lead" and "water" together probably brings back memories of the Flint water crisis, but this isn't the same situation. The city says the water is safe to drink and residents do not need to boil it or take any special precautions.

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Burton buys its water from the Karegnondi Water Authority and the Genesee County Water System, then treats it before it reaches homes. Part of that treatment involves keeping the water chemistry within state-required levels to help reduce corrosion inside older pipes.

Officials say those levels fell below the required minimum for about 10 days in March before the problem was corrected. That's the key part here.

Is Burton's Drinking Water Safe?

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Yes. The city says you do not need to boil your water or take any special precautions.

The good news is the city says the water is safe to drink. Even though the issue was corrected back in March, state rules still require Burton to notify residents about what happened.

The city says it's already made adjustments to prevent the problem from happening again. If you have questions about the notice, you can contact Burton's Department of Public Works for more information.

Tony LaBrie