In spite of an incomplete number of samples submitted to the state earlier this year, Dowagiac’s drinking water remains safe for consumption, according to the city manager.

In this month’s city newsletter, a notice was published stating that, in January, the city did not meet the water monitoring requirements as set forth by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, with city crews only collecting six samples instead of the seven required by the state for monitoring coliform bacteria levels inside the city’s water supply.

While the notice said the city cannot be sure of the quality of the drinking water during that time period, according to City Manager Kevin Anderson, neither the samples the city did collect that month, nor those taken the following month, showed indication of contamination from bacteria or other harmful substances.

“If there was a problem, there would have been immediate action taken by us, such as a boil order,” Anderson said.

The notice itself informed residents that there was no action they needed to take.

The issue with the incomplete number of January samples was the result of the city’s water operators not being to draw water from a faucet inside one of the local testing sites, due to the fact it was stuck at the time, Anderson said. As the sites the city is able to draw water for testing from is strictly monitored by the MDEQ, the testers were unable to secure a seventh sample in time for submission, the city manager said.

“It was the first time this has happened, but we don’t want it to happen again,” Anderson said.

Since then, the city has worked out alternative solutions should the situation arise in the future, where operators can find another tap for testing, submit the site to the MDEQ for approval, and then draw water from that location, Anderson said.

Every month, the city is required to draw seven samples for submission to the state to ensure the city’s water supply is free from dangerous levels of contamination. Specially trained water operators, licensed by the MDEQ, draw these samples from a number of city properties, taking water twice a month from the fire department, the booster station located near Optimist Park and the wastewater treatment plant, and once a month from city hall, Anderson said.

These samples are tested for levels of coliform bacteria, as well as chlorine, fluoride and iron, the city manager said.

These tests are run on top of the daily draws city crews perform at the wastewater plant, which is tested for a full spectrum of possible contaminants, including lead, iron and sulfur, Anderson said.

“These samples are important to take on a regular basis so we can stay on top of things, so if there is ever a problem that emerges we can take care of it quickly,” he said.