April 4, 2025

City of Dexter: Drinking Water Quality Report

2024 City of Dexter Drinking Water Quality Report

Dear Customer,

The City of Dexter is once again proud to present to you our Annual Drinking Water Quality Report.

Why did you get this report? Drinking water regulations require the City to make this information available to customers each year – it’s the law!

Why should you read it? Let’s face it – this report isn’t going to end up on any Best Seller list. A lot of the wording is technical and mandated by law. However, the quality of our water is important, and we want to keep you informed. It can be useful in your everyday life, as well, if you have special health concerns, or just need to adjust the settings on your water softener.

What does it contain? This report uses data collected in 2024 to summarize information about your water supply sources, the water system facilities that deliver water to your tap, and the quality of your drinking water. Also included is information about programs underway that ensure that you have safe and dependable drinking water.

Did we meet all our monitoring requirements in 2024? Yes! We continue to meet the challenge of providing you with a safe and dependable supply of quality drinking water which meets or exceeds the requirements set forth by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

What if you have questions? Please contact Water Utilities at (734) 426-4572 if you would like help understanding the information provided, or have questions about your drinking water. This report is also available online at

https://www.dextermi.gov/Departments_Services/Water_Sewer/Water_Quality_Report_2024.pdf.

The City of Dexter Council meets at 7:00 p.m. on the 2^nd and 4^th Mondays of every month at 3515 Broad Street., Dexter Michigan. Look to the City of Dexter website for further information.

Water Quality Test Results

This table below lists all the drinking water contaminants that were detected during the 2024 calendar year. The presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done January 1 through December 31, 2024. The State allows us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. All of the data is representative of the water quality, but some are more than one year old.

Terms used in this report:

Action Level (AL): The concentrations of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.
Maximum Contaminant level (MCL): The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
N/A: Not applicable.
pCi/l: picocuries per liter (a measure of radioactivity)
1 part per million (ppm) or milligrams per liter (mg/L) corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000. 1ppm – 1000 ppb.
1 part per billion (ppb) or micrograms per liter (µg/L) corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years or a single penny in $10,000,000.

Regulated Contaminant	MCL,or MRDL	MCLG or MRDLG	Level Detected	Range	Year Sampled	Violation Yes/No	Typical Source of Contaminant
Arsenic (ppb)	10 ppb	0 ppb	3 ppb	2.9– 3.4 ppb	2024	no	Erosion of natural deposits; Runoff from orchards; Runoff from glass and electronics production wastes
Barium (ppm)	2 ppm	2 ppm	0.6 ppm	0.6 ppm	2022	no	Discharge of drilling wastes; Discharge of metal refineries; Erosion of natural deposits
Chlorine (ppm)	4 ppm	4 ppm	0.7 ppm	0.1 – 1 ppm	2024	no	Water additive used to control microbes
Chromium (ppb)	100ppb	100ppb	6 ppb	6 ppb	2022	no	Erosion of natural deposits
Fluoride (ppm)	4 ppm	4 ppm	0.6 ppm	0.4 -0.9 ppm	2024	no	Erosion of natural deposits; Water additive which promotes strong teeth; Discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories
HAA5 (sum total haloacetic acids, ppb)	60 ppb	N/A	10 ppb	8.5 – 11 ppb	2024	no	By-product of drinking water disinfection
Nitrate (ppm)	10 ppm	10 ppm	0.8 ppm	0.4 – 1.1 ppm	2024	no	Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits
Uranium (ppb)	30 ppb	0 ppb	0.9 ppb	0.9 ppb	2024	no	Erosion of natural deposits
Selenium (ppb)	50 ppb	50 ppb	2 ppb	2 ppb	2022	no	Erosion of natural deposits
TTHMs (sum total trihalomethanes, ppb)	80 ppb	N/A	52 ppb	45– 58 ppb	2024	no	By-product of drinking water disinfection
Combined radium (pCi/L)(sum radium 226 + 228)	5 pCi/L	0 pCi/L	1.56 pCi/L	0.41-1.15 pCi/L	2023	no	Erosion of natural deposits
Inorganic Contaminant Subject to Action Levels (AL)	Action Level	MCLG	Your Water	Range of Results	Year Sampled	Number of Samples Above AL	Typical Source of Contaminant
Lead (ppb)	15 ppb	0 ppb	2 ppb	0 – 10 ppb	2024	0	Lead service lines, corrosion of household plumbing including fittings and fixtures; Erosion of natural deposits
Copper (ppm)	1.3 ppm	1.3 ppm	0.6 ppm	0.0 – 0.9 ppm	2024	0	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits

Information about lead: Lead can cause serious health effects in people of all ages, especially pregnant people, infants (both formula-fed and breastfed), and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and parts used in service lines and in home plumbing. City of Dexter is responsible for providing high quality drinking water and removing lead pipes, but cannot control the variety of materials used in the plumbing in your home. Because lead levels may vary over time, lead exposure is possible even when your tap sampling results do not detect lead at one point in time. You can help protect yourself and your family by identifying and removing lead materials within your home plumbing and taking steps to reduce your family’s risk. Using a filter certified by an American National Standards Institute accredited certifier to reduce lead is effective in reducing lead exposures. Follow the instructions provided with the filter to ensure the filter is used properly. Use only cold water for drinking, cooking, and making baby formula. Boiling water does not remove lead from water. Before using tap water for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula, flush your pipes for several minutes. You can do this by running your tap, taking a shower, doing laundry or a load of dishes. If you have a lead service line or galvanized requiring replacement service line, you may need to flush your pipes for at least 5 minutes to flush water from both your home plumbing and the lead service line. If you are concerned about lead in your water and wish to have your water tested, contact City of Dexter at (734)426-4572 for available resources. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available at https://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead

Our water supply has no lead service lines, 41 galvanized lines, and 221 service lines of unknown material out of a total of 1524 service lines. One galvanized line was replaced in 2024.

Monitoring and Reporting to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Requirements: The State of Michigan and the U.S. EPA require us to test our water on a regular basis to ensure its safety. We met all the monitoring and reporting requirements for 2024.

We will update this report annually and will keep you informed of any problems that may occur throughout the year as they happen. Copies are available at the City office, 3515 Broad Street, Dexter, MI., 48130, or call 734-426-4572.

Other Unregulated Parameters of Interest	Sample Average	Results Range	Likely Source
Chloride	119 ppm	81-140 ppm	Erosion of natural deposits, road runoff, industrial processes
Hardness	300 ppm	230 – 340 ppm	Erosion of natural deposits (multiply ppm by .058 to get grains/gallon)
Sodium	47 ppm	42-52 ppm	Erosion of natural deposits, road runoff, added by water softeners to remove hardness
Sulfate	32 ppm	22-73 ppm	Erosion of natural deposits, industrial processes

We invite public participation in decisions that affect drinking water quality. The City of Dexter Council meets at 7:00 PM on the 2^nd and 4^th Mondays of every month at 3515 Broad St., Dexter, Michigan. For more information about your water, or the contents of this report, contact Andrea Dorney at 734-426-4572. For more information about safe drinking water, visit the U.S. EPA at http://www.epa.gov/safewater

Each year, we constantly take water samples in order to determine the levels of any radioactive, biological, inorganic, volatile organic, or synthetic organic contaminants that might be present. This report includes information on all regulated drinking water contaminants detected during the calendar year of 2024. Contaminants which were tested for, but not detected, are not included in this report. Some contaminants are not required to be monitored every year because they change infrequently.

Message from the EPA

Contaminants and their presence in water: Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the U.S. EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Vulnerability of sub-populations: Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune systems disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. USEPA/Center for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline(800-426-4791).

Sources of drinking water: The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. Our water comes from wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming.
Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture and residential uses.
Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.
Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the US EPA prescribes regulations that limit the levels of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Federal Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which provide the same protection for public health.

Mandatory Outdoor Water Restrictions

Outdoor water usage (watering lawns, washing cars, irrigation, etc.) is restricted to odd or even days based on your street address. Residents and businesses with odd-numbered addresses (addresses ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9) are only allowed to water on odd-numbered days. Residents and businesses with even-numbered addresses (ending in 2, 4, 6, 8, or 0) may only water on even-numbered days. Outdoor watering is also prohibited between 6 am and 10 am. Please adjust the start time(s) for your sprinkler or irrigation system accordingly. We would like to thank you for your cooperation protecting and conserving our water resources.

From Source to Tap

Where does my water come from? Dexter’s water comes from two well fields: one in Dexter Community Park, behind LaFontaine Chevrolet; the other behind Dexter High School, off Parker Road. There are four wells in Dexter Community Park, ranging from 200 to 225 feet deep. These feed the filtration plant on Central Street. The water is filtered, fluoridated, corrosion control added, and disinfected. Then it is pumped into the city water tower for use by the public. The single well by Dexter High School is 70 feet deep, and the pumped water is treated on-site. It is fluoridated, treated with polyphosphate for iron sequestration and corrosion control, disinfected, and pumped to the water tower for public use.

Protected Sources: In 2003, the State of Michigan conducted tritium testing to determine the relative potential for contamination of our wells by surface pollutants. The Dexter aquifer was classified by the State as “not vulnerable” to casual contamination, and the Dexter Wellhead Protection Program was instituted to help protect against other threats to our water supply.