MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Since the headline broke that high levels of lead were found in the city of Flint's water supply, individuals in other communities cannot help but wonder if their water supply is in the clear.

The East Lansing-Meridian Water & Sewer Authority was put on line in 1972 with its primary purpose being to soften the water down to an acceptable level to be able to provide a quality that people in the community are pleased with.

"We run various tests continually. Our operating chemistry is done hourly and several others are done a couple times a shift," mentioned Manager Clyde Dugan of the East Lansing-Meridian Water & Sewer Authority.

Dugan indicated that the water treatment plant tests for chlorine residual every hour, the softening parameters 5 times during an 8 hour shift and they also do distribution bacteriological water quality testing whose samples are drawn once a week for both Meridian Township and East Lansing and that's only to name a few tests done.

"They're all designed to make sure that we have safe, consistent water quality going to the customers," Dugan noted.

And with the Flint catastrophe in our midst, lead appearing in the water supply is of major concern as well, but the East Lansing-Meridian water treatment plant are well up to par in preventing that from happening in this community.

"The lead levels that we have had in our sampling is well below the action level," Dugan stated.

Lead and copper sampling happens once every 3 years and as far as an analysis of water pipes goes, there is no routine inspection given.

"We meet all regulatory requirements and have consistently. The testing we've done indicates that there's no problems associated with the water system," Dugan expressed.

And if a situation would to occur, Dugan mentioned that...

"It would be very unusual for us to have any deviation from our control strategies and we would determine immediately why that would have occurred."

And according to Dugan, due to the consistent and accurate water quality tests given in Meridian Township, residents have nothing to be concerned about.