Macomb County, Michigan: drinking water report. Macomb County sits northeast of Detroit, home to about 880,000 residents.
Macomb County sits northeast of Detroit, home to about 880,000 residents. Most of the county receives treated water from the Great Lakes Water Authority, sourced from Lake Huron and treated at GLWA's massive facilities. Some northern communities operate independent groundwater systems. The county's auto manufacturing heritage has left industrial contamination in some areas.
GLWA's Lake Huron water is well-treated and generally clean at the point of distribution. Macomb County's water quality concerns center on two things: lead from aging distribution infrastructure and PFAS in local groundwater. Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township is a confirmed PFAS source from AFFF firefighting foam use.
According to the Michigan EGLE's 2024 monitoring data, PFAS has been detected in groundwater monitoring wells around Selfridge, with concentrations exceeding Michigan's MCLs in some cases. Communities drawing supplemental groundwater in the base's vicinity face the highest risk. UCMR5 data shows detections in eight county water systems.
For GLWA customers, the supply is clean at the source. Lead from household plumbing in older homes is the primary concern. For communities near Selfridge, PFAS is the additional risk factor.
Check your water for data specific to your provider. A dual-purpose filter for lead and PFAS addresses both Macomb County concerns. Our water filter guide covers options. Pull your detailed report, and visit our Michigan page for statewide context.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Macomb County, MI.
The EPA places Macomb County, MI in Zone 3 - the EPA's lowest-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level below 2 pCi/L. Zone maps predict an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.
58% of homes in Macomb County, MI were built before 1980, and 8% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.
Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Macomb County, MI averages 8.9 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.
How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide
Across 32 public water systems serving Macomb County, MI with EPA lead testing on record, 3 (9.4%) reported a 90th-percentile lead result above the EPA's 15 ppb action level, and the median is 2.7 ppb. 9 water systems serving Macomb County, MI carry a health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violation.
| Most-cited violation type | Systems affected |
|---|---|
| Lead and Copper Rule Revisions | 4 |
| Lead and Copper Rule | 2 |
| Total Organic Carbon | 2 |
| Nitrate | 1 |
| Ground Water Rule | 1 |
Source: EPA Lead and Copper Rule 90th-percentile tap sampling and EPA SDWIS Safe Drinking Water Act enforcement records, aggregated from the public water systems serving this county. Figures are counts of water systems, not a test of any individual home or tap.