Grand Ledge may let anyone inspect residents’ pipes

The city of Grand Ledge can authorize anyone, including city council members, to enter a home to inspect water pipes, according to Section 44-53 of its municipal code.

The city threatens a misdemeanor charge against residents who refuse a city-authorized inspection during normal hours. Each day the violation continues will be a separate offense, and any person violating this rule will be liable to the city for any expense, loss, or damage caused by the violation.

“Any member of the City Council or other persons authorized by the City Council shall have free access, at proper hours of the day, to all parts of every building in which water is delivered and consumed to examine pipes and fixtures and to ascertain whether there is any unnecessary waste of water, and no person shall interfere with such inspection in any manner,” the code reads.

The city has used the code to enter more than 1,000 homes and businesses since 2015, according to nine years of records Michigan Capitol Confidential obtained through a record request.

In 2016, the city used the code to enter 50 businesses.

In 2024, the city entered more than 300 homes, citing the same ordinance.

Michigan cities inspect resident pipes to remove lead line services that could contaminate water flowing from the faucet. Cities usually send a plumber to inspect the pipes, not anyone authorized by the city council.

The city of Grand Ledge is searching for cross connections, which are points in the plumbing system where contamination might reach clean water supplies due to backflow, which the American Backflow Prevention Association defines as “the undesirable reversal of flow of fluids, chemicals, or any other foreign material into the public drinking water system.” Common instances include:

• A garden hose directly connected to a chemical fertilizer sprayer
• A submerged outlet of an irrigation system
• Improper plumbing connected to a boiler heating system
• Water-assisted back-up on a sump pump

The cross-connection program aims to protect public health from the risk of backflow, Scott Dean, the strategic communications advisor for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, told CapCon in an email.

“Water distribution systems are designed to operate with continuous positive pressure. This helps ensure contamination cannot enter the system through points of connection or leaks,” Dean said. “Though difficult to detect, water pressure can sometimes be disrupted causing water to accidentally flow backwards. This can result in siphoning of unknown materials into the drinking water. Other times, pumps or water heating devices in homes and businesses can overcome the water system pressure. These are examples of backflow, and contamination during a backflow incident can occur through the plumbing and points of use. These backflow events have resulted in documented contamination in water systems across the country.”

“To identify and prevent cross connections in community water supplies, Part 14 of the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act Administrative Rules prohibits cross connections and requires each water supply to implement a cross-connection prevention program, including inspections, testing, recordkeeping, and education. The environmental agency oversees public water supply programs to identify and prevent cross connections throughout Michigan.”

The city of Grand Ledge didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.

State and federal laws require the city of Grand Ledge to protect the water supply to the customer’s tap. The Plumbing Code, Michigan Residential Code, and the City of Grand Ledge Code of Ordinances also require that the city verify that cross connections on private plumbing systems don’t contaminate the public water supply by enforcing cross-contamination inspections.

The city of Grand Ledge contracted with staff from Hydrocorp in late 2024 to inspect pipes on the exterior and interior of homes.