State, county, and township officials are working together in the Greenland town of Ontonagon County to answer questions about unlicensed water sources that some locals have used for drinking and other household needs for years.
In the Lake Mine area of ​​northeastern Massachusetts, water is drawn from a hose, after passing through an old water pipe that drove nearly a mile along the Bill Nichols Rail-Trail. This trail is managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Water samples have been collected from the scene and tested. The preliminary test results meet the safe drinking water standards, but the water is not routinely sampled or regulated as a public water source under the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act. The test results of other heavy metal water samples are waiting.
The exact source of the water has not yet been determined. If the water source cannot be located and inspected, the Upper West Peninsula Department of Health and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy cannot consider the water safe to drink.
Local residents are fetching water from an old steam locomotive gas station, which has degenerated into a flooded pit over time. The pipeline at the water intake does not meet the minimum requirements for the provision of safe and sanitary water to the public.
DNR posted a notice to remind the public that the water is not drinkable (not drinkable). The Michigan Plumbing Code requires all non-potable water outlets, such as hose connections, open pipes, and faucets, to be marked with the sign "Caution: Non-potable water-do not drink".
Recently, these signs have been removed and discarded by vandals.
"We are working to conduct more extensive testing and resolve issues with this water source," said Ron Yesney, DNR's Upper Peninsula Trail Coordinator. "At the same time, we urge people to stop using these signs until we have a long-term plan for wells and pipelines."
DNR protection officials have been informed of the iconic vandalism and are monitoring the situation. DNR is exploring the options and costs involved in finding water sources. The residents living in nearby houses have been contacted and they are getting bottled water for drinking.
In September 2020, DNR learned that a buried water pipe was found in the Bill Nichols Railway Trail.
Yesni said: "At the time, people thought this was a dormant trunk line that surfaced due to leveling and compaction equipment on the trail." "Further investigation by the trail staff revealed that it was mainly from a long-established working water source. The water source was built by the Tongling Railway in the early 1900s."
In 1974, DNR purchased this railway line and developed it into a public walkway—now the Bill Nichols Railway.
The water main provided an old steam locomotive gas station and the Recree community, which was first settled in 1840 and had approximately 150 residents by the early 1900s.
For more information, please call 906-226-1352 or call PepinJ@michigan.gov to contact John Pepin, DNR Deputy Public Information Officer at Marquette.
Note to editors: An attached photo is available for download below. The subtitle information is as follows. Image source: Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Sign: Displays signs posted at the water source in Lake Mine, Ontonagon County.