Emmett and Pennfield Water Notice: What the TTHM Violation Means for Residents

Residents of Emmett Township and specific parts of Pennfield Township served by Battle Creek water can continue using their water normally, according to the City of Battle Creek. The city says a continuing drinking-water standard violation involving total trihalomethanes, known as TTHMs, is not a boil-water advisory and is not a do-not-drink order. The city says affected customers do not need to boil water, use bottled water or take other corrective action because of this notice.

The issue is a federal maximum contaminant level, or MCL, violation. TTHMs are disinfection byproducts that can form when disinfectant reacts with naturally occurring material in source water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets the TTHM standard at 80 parts per billion. The city says the violation was determined from a rolling annual average of quarterly tests, not because every current sample is above the limit.

Who is affected?

The notice applies to Emmett Township and to specific Pennfield Township areas that receive water from Battle Creek. It is not a citywide violation. The city has published the affected Pennfield streets and the detailed monitoring results in its official public notice. Battle Creek city and Springfield customers may receive information because the systems share the same source water, but the MCL violation described in the notice is limited to the affected Emmett and Pennfield service areas.

What the violation does and does not mean

The city describes this as a compliance issue involving long-term exposure, not an immediate health emergency. EPA information explains that potential health effects associated with TTHMs are tied to elevated levels over many years, rather than short-term exposure. In its notice, Battle Creek says it would notify customers within 24 hours if testing showed an immediate health risk.

That distinction matters. A regulatory drinking-water standard violation is different from a boil-water advisory, which is issued when boiling is needed to address a specific concern. It is also different from a do-not-drink order. The city has not issued either instruction for this TTHM notice. Residents should follow any future official notice that specifically changes those instructions, but they should not assume that a boil-water order is in place now.

What testing has shown

In the city's June public notice, the rolling annual averages that triggered the violation were 92 parts per billion at the Emmett Township monitoring location and 88 parts per billion at one Pennfield location. The standard is 80 parts per billion. The same notice said the most recent individual May samples listed there were below 80 parts per billion at all monitoring locations.

In an August city update, Battle Creek said additional July 24 monitoring was also below the standard at all sampling locations. The city noted that those additional samples were not the formal regulatory compliance samples. The violation can remain in place while earlier results are still part of the 12-month rolling average.

What the city is doing

Battle Creek says it is taking extra samples in the distribution system and at the treatment plant, managing water age and storage, conducting targeted hydrant flushing and using automatic flushing units. The city also said it is developing treatment adjustments and considering storage-mixing improvements. Its June notice connected the higher TTHM levels to increased natural organic material in source water and higher disinfectant use following well work. The city expected improvement over time, while noting that compliance is measured over multiple quarters.

Where to get updates or ask questions

For the latest official information, residents can check the City of Battle Creek water notice and the city's public-notice archive. The notice lists Water Superintendent Cassandra Allen at 269-966-3355, extension 1827, and the Department of Public Works at 150 S. Kendall St. For health questions, it also lists the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Toxicology Hotline at 800-648-6942.

For background on the national standard and the way EPA regulates TTHMs, see the EPA's National Primary Drinking Water Regulations.

Questions You Might Have

Q: Do affected residents need to boil their water?
A: No. The City of Battle Creek says this TTHM compliance violation is not a boil-water advisory, and affected customers do not need to boil water or take other corrective action.

Q: What is in the water that caused the violation?
A: The concern is total trihalomethanes, or TTHMs. They are disinfection byproducts that can form when disinfectant reacts with naturally occurring material in source water.

Q: How can I tell whether my Pennfield address is affected?
A: Review the city's official public notice, which lists the specific Pennfield streets and addresses served by the affected water system, or contact the city's water department for confirmation.