City alerted to lead risk in drinking water

DETROIT » Michigan on Wednesday urged residents of Benton Harbor to use only bottled water for cooking and drinking, a major shift in response to the city’s elevated levels of lead.

The state recently said it would distribute free water and filters in the southwestern city. But federal regulators now are reviewing how effective the filters are in removing lead from water at certain levels, according to the health department.

The state said more than 15,000 cases of water will be delivered in coming days to the predominantly Black and mostly low income community.

“We think they probably are effective,” health department director Elizabeth Hertel said of the filters. “Right now don’t use the water for cooking or drinking, even the filtered water, until we can guarantee the efficacy of those filters,” Hertel told The AP.

She didn’t know how long it would take. Filters so far have been given to more than 2,600 homes, the department said.