Meridian Township
EPA ID: MI0004260 · 25,600 people served · 4 ZIP codes
Despite the 3 historical violations in its record, Meridian Township has cleared every one and now meets EPA standards serving 25,600 residents.
Data: EPA SDWIS Last verified: 2026-04-02
Compliance Trajectory
Worsening · Risk tier: High · 95% chance of violation in next 12 months
Violations went from 4 (2024) to 2 (2025). The pattern suggests growing compliance challenges.
Service Area Map
Coverage area for Meridian Township Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.
Service area boundary — Grade B
Service Area Demographics
The Meridian Township serves a community with a median household income of $74,252 and an estimated 85,580 residents across its service area. Approximately 58% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.
💧 Where Does Your Water Come From?
Meridian Township's water is pumped from underground aquifers. Groundwater is naturally filtered through rock and soil, but it can be vulnerable to PFAS contamination, nitrates from agriculture, and industrial chemicals that seep into the water table.
About 1% of homes in Ingham County, Michigan rely on private wells rather than public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own water testing and treatment.
Superfund Proximity Note: This service area ranks in the 70th percentile nationally for proximity to Superfund (NPL) sites. Groundwater sources near contaminated sites may face elevated risk from industrial chemicals.
Infrastructure Risk
Detected Contaminants
How Meridian Township compares to EPA limits
What This Means For You
Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) at 1 mg/L exceeds the EPA maximum of 0.06 mg/L. Cancer risk; reproductive & developmental effects. Consider granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration.
Lead and Copper Rule at 1 mg/L exceeds the EPA maximum of mg/L.
Consumer Confidence Report Rule at 1 mg/L exceeds the EPA maximum of mg/L.
Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) was detected in this water system. granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration can reduce exposure.
Find a certified water filter →Comparable Water Systems
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Estimated Remediation Costs
Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system
Based on national averages for common remediation projects. Actual costs vary by property. Only issues flagged by EPA, FEMA, or state data for each ZIP code are included.
System Overview
Meridian Township (EPA ID: MI0004260) is a community water system in Michigan that serves approximately 25,600 people from groundwater sources.
This system provides water to 4 ZIP codes across 3 communities.
Average Home Safety Score: B (76/100)
Based on water quality violations, lead levels, and radon risk across all ZIP codes served by this system.
Violation History
Recent Violations
| Date | Contaminant | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2024 | Lead and Copper Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| April 1, 2023 | Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | Monitoring | Resolved |
Contaminants Detected
The following contaminants have been flagged in EPA records for this water system:
| Contaminant | Category | Violations | Health-Based |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | Disinfection Byproducts | 1 | No |
| Lead and Copper Rule | Treatment Failure | 1 | No |
| Consumer Confidence Report Rule | Reporting Failure | 1 | No |
Lead & Copper
EPA Lead and Copper Rule sampling data for ZIP codes served by this system:
Radon Risk in Service Area
Dominant radon zone for ZIP codes served by this system: Zone 2 (Moderate Risk)
The EPA recommends testing homes in Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas for radon.
Need help with your water quality?
Typical cost: Water test: typically $20–$50 (DIY kit) · Professional inspection: $150–$400
Find the Right Water FilterFree tip: Let cold water run for 2 minutes before drinking — this helps flush lead from your pipes.
ZIP Codes Served
Coverage: 3 ZIP codes confirmed via EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 plus 1 additional ZIP inferred from SDWIS registry data. The EPA-confirmed set is the most reliable; SDWIS-inferred entries may be narrower than the real deployment area.
Data Sources
This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View the full compliance record for Meridian Township (MI0004260) on EPA.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Meridian Township water safe to drink?
Meridian Township has only monitoring/reporting violations, which are procedural in nature. The system meets federal health-based standards.
How many people does Meridian Township serve?
Meridian Township serves approximately 25,600 people across 4 ZIP codes in Michigan.
Where does Meridian Township get its water?
The primary water source is groundwater.
Contact Your Water Utility
Public-record contact information for the water utility serving this system. Use these channels to request water quality reports, ask about service, or report issues directly.
Contact information from East Lansing-Meridian Water & Sewer Authority (ELMWSA) Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility, does not act as its agent, and does not provide customer support for it. Contact details shown are public-record information from CCR filings. For service issues, contact the utility directly using the information above.
Water Source & Treatment
Where this water originates and how it's treated before reaching your tap.
Source: East Lansing-Meridian Water & Sewer Authority (ELMWSA) Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility. Treatment and source data are sourced from the utility's published CCR filings.
Susceptibility rating 'high' — substances may easily pass through soil in groundwater recharge areas and contaminate drinking water source. Participating in Michigan Wellhead Protection Program.
Treatment regime
How this utility classifies its treatment process and what each reported treatment chemical does.
Treatment chemicals and what each one does
Chemical names are reported verbatim by the utility. Purpose categories are ZipCheckup annotations based on standard drinking-water treatment practice.
Treatment classification and chemical list sourced from East Lansing-Meridian Water & Sewer Authority (ELMWSA) Consumer Confidence Report.
Treatment intensity is a ZipCheckup-derived classification based on the chemicals and processes the utility reports. Chemicals and contamination sources are taken verbatim from the utility's CCR filing. Routine federal monitoring and contaminant testing shown elsewhere on this page determine whether the water meets safety standards, not the treatment classification.
Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: Tested Clean
This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). No PFAS compounds were detected.
Current MCL reflects the lowest state-enforceable limit (NYS 10 ppt for PFOA/PFOS, effective August 2020). The federal final MCL of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (EPA April 2024 rule) is not enforceable until April 2029. Detections above 4 ppt but below 10 ppt are below current MCL but above the future federal limit.
Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) — per-system federal sampling, 2023–2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program →
PFAS Substances Detected in This System
This water system's Consumer Confidence Report disclosed the following PFAS compounds. Levels are from the utility's most recent reporting cycle.
In April 2024, EPA finalized the first National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for six PFAS. Public water systems have until 2029 to comply. EPA — PFAS regulation overview →
Source: Consumer Confidence Report disclosed by East Lansing-Meridian Water & Sewer Authority (ELMWSA).
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility. PFAS detection data is sourced from public Consumer Confidence Reports filed by the utility itself.
City of East Lansing: 318 known lead service lines, 3,638 unknown material, 7,873 total (as of 12/31/2025). Replacing lead service lines when found, coinciding with road/sewer projects — 267 replaced to date. Meridian Township: 0 known lead, 0 unknown, 12,472 total (verified by random excavation).
Lead Service Line Replacement Tracker
This water utility's lead service line (LSL) replacement program is tracked from public Consumer Confidence Report filings. Email signup notifies subscribers when the utility files an updated replacement plan or progress milestone.
East Lansing-Meridian Water & Sewer Authority (ELMWSA)
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility. LSL replacement-program data is sourced from public CCR filings published by the utility. Subscription notifications are based on automated parsing of subsequent CCR releases.
Learn more about Lead and Copper Rule replacement requirements →
Lead Service Line Inventory
Service line breakdown reported under the federal Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) inventory requirement:
This system reports zero confirmed lead service lines in its inventory. Unknown-material counts may still warrant verification.
Federal LCRI rule (effective October 2024) requires every public water system to inventory its service lines and complete lead-line replacement within 10 years.
Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Service Line Inventory (Phase 2) · Submitted 2026
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with the utility or state agency. Inventory figures render verbatim from the public LCRI submission cited above; ZipCheckup does not perform inspections or replacements.
Aesthetic water quality
These measurements describe the look, taste, and feel of the water this utility delivers. They are not contaminant violations — they sit alongside federal Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels (SMCLs) which the EPA publishes as non-enforceable guidance.
Aesthetic measurements from East Lansing-Meridian Water & Sewer Authority (ELMWSA) Consumer Confidence Report.
Aesthetic measurements are reported by the utility from its annual sampling. EPA Secondary MCLs are advisory thresholds — values outside them indicate aesthetic concerns such as taste or appearance, not health violations. Federal contaminant testing is shown in the sections above.
Notable events and violations
This section summarizes events the utility chose to disclose in its most recent Consumer Confidence Report, plus any federal compliance violations the utility recorded against itself. Both lists are utility-authored — ZipCheckup does not audit, judge, or reorder them.
Notable events from the utility's CCR
These bullet entries are the utility's own narration of operational, regulatory, or infrastructure events during the reporting period.
- Water plant completed 6 years of upgrades in 2025: new chemical storage/feed systems, 2 new filters, enclosed backwash system, new 2 million gallon treated water reservoir
- ELMWSA reclassified by State of Michigan from surface water to ground water system in 2025
- East Lansing Water Authority won regional best tasting water competition in 2025
- PFAS not detected in ELMWSA water at any point; tested annually since 2020 PFAS rule
- 1,4-Dioxane detected by LBWL at trace levels (0.14 ppb) in 2015 — below HAL of 0.035 ppb at that time
- Processed 1.9 billion gallons of treated water in 2025
ZipCheckup note: items above reflect what the utility published in its most recent CCR. Federal violation records are also tracked separately by the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) — the SDWIS record is the authoritative federal source for any specific regulatory action.
Frequently Asked Questions
What You Can Do
Test your water
Home test kits can detect lead, bacteria, and other contaminants at your tap. Find the right filter →
Check your specific ZIP code
Water quality can vary within a system. View nearest ZIP report →
Contact your utility
Meridian Township (EPA ID: MI0004260) — request the latest Consumer Confidence Report or ask about specific contaminants.