Westhaven Mobile Court in Flint Township is one of several mobile home parks in Michigan where water health-related violations occurred in 2023. Westhaven exceeded the permitted arsenic level.
The water supplies of more than a dozen trailer communities in Michigan suffered health violations last year, ranging from not having a certified water utility to having elevated arsenic levels, including one community in Genesee County.
The communities are included in the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy’s annual list of public water supplies with violations. EGLE regulates the water supply not only at mobile home parks, but also at schools, nursing homes, apartments and other types of facilities.
The list shows that in 2023, 13 trailer communities in 11 provinces had health violations, such as violations of treatment technique and violations of the maximum contaminant level, the maximum amount of a contaminant allowed in water.
One represents many of the issues a mobile home community can face.
Westhaven Mobile Court in Flint Township, like other well-water mobile home parks, is required to measure the levels of various chemicals in the water supply. The maximum contaminant level for arsenic is 0.01 parts per million.
Westhaven received a total of five violations for arsenic in its water supply in 2023 and 2024, but is now in compliance with state regulations, according to EGLE. Westhaven is one of three mobile home communities listed by the state for arsenic.
In Westhaven, the running annual average for arsenic for all four quarters of 2023 and the second quarter of 2024 was above maximum levels and ranged from 0.012 ppm to 0.014 ppm, according to documents obtained through the Michigan Freedom of Information Act and information shared by EGLE spokespersons. Westhaven’s owner, Cosmonet LLC, received violation notices for each of these incidents.
“I’m a little concerned,” Westhaven resident Kim Gibson said in late August. “…I already have health problems. That’s all I need.”
Arsenic is an element that occurs naturally in the Earth’s mineral deposits and dissolves in groundwater. Arsenic in drinking water “can cause adverse health effects depending on how much you consume and how sensitive you are to it,” according to an EGLE guideline.
EGLE said the way arsenic affects the human body is not yet fully understood, but long-term exposure to low levels of arsenic in drinking water is known to cause health problems such as cancer, thickening and discoloration of the skin, problems with blood vessels and high blood pressure. blood pressure.
The running annual average for arsenic in Westhaven was 0.014 ppm in the first two quarters of 2023, 0.013 ppm in the third quarter of 2023 and 0.012 ppm in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the second quarter of 2024, according to EGLE violation notices and spokespersons. The running annual average for arsenic is the average of the last four quarters sampled.
EGLE’s violation notices are addressed to Prabin Dutta of Cosmonet LLC, the company that owns Westhaven. He did not respond to multiple calls seeking comment.
EGLE spokesman Scott Dean said this month that Westhaven is now in compliance with federal Safe Drinking Water Act rules for arsenic. Westhaven’s result in the third quarter of 2024 was 0.001 ppm, meaning the current annual average was 0.01 ppm – the maximum pollution level. Compliance for arsenic is calculated based on the current annual average.
“In this case, a quarter came back above the MCL, Westhaven resolved the issue and the next quarter came back low enough to bring them back into compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act,” Dean said in an email.
He said in September that EGLE was working with the new operator of Westhaven to ensure chlorine is added consistently to ensure the arsenic removal treatment is effective.
Earlier this month, before the park went into compliance, Dean said the water could be consumed.
“EGLE takes residents’ concerns seriously and a public notice has been distributed to residents explaining the risks of long-term exposure to arsenic and advising those with health or medical concerns to consult their physicians regarding these concerns,” he said .
Elin Betanzo, a Detroit-based water engineering consultant, said that if “you have a running annual average that exceeds the MCL, that means you have persistently high arsenic levels.”
“So if they regularly fail to comply with the MCL, it is absolutely a public health risk for the people who live there,” Betanzo said of Westhaven.
Westhaven’s other problems
Besides arsenic, Westhaven has had other problems with its water system.
During a 2022 plumbing survey or inspection, EGLE found several deficiencies, such as a major capacity problem and corrosion on the pipes, Dean said. An administrative consent agreement was drafted in October 2023 to address these issues and the arsenic, but was not implemented. Westhaven did not choose to sign the agreement, Dean said.
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs enforces the state’s mobile home regulations, and a LARA database showed the expiration date for Westhaven’s license was Oct. 1. LARA spokesperson Abby Rubley said Westhaven’s license has been renewed. Dean said it was extended because EGLE confirmed the community was now in compliance with arsenic regulations.
Westhaven Mobile Court, which is adjacent to Interstate 75 and about a half-mile from Bishop International Airport, is licensed for 77 mobile home sites, LARA’s Rubley said. The community has older homes and lots of trees, making it feel like you’re in the country, but with the rush of I-75.
Melanie Wagner, Cosmonet’s former director of operations, said the owner “refuses to comply with authorities” on anything they oversee, be it a water department or a sewer department.
“He will not take responsibility for his property,” Wagner said.
► RELATED: Residents of mobile homes suffer from water problems in some places: ‘You don’t dare to drink the water’
Westhaven resident Aron Jennings said in late August that he had been living in the community for six months and that the water “tastes bad” — like “soil.” He only tried it once before buying bottled water. However, he still uses it for coffee, because coffee makers have a hot water chamber.
When asked about the slightly elevated arsenic levels, he said the jump of 0.002 parts per million “wouldn’t affect me too much.”
“If the water tasted better, I’d probably still drink it,” Jennings said.
He said buying water isn’t that expensive: about $8 for 40 bottles. However, he said he tries to minimize his carbon footprint.
“And having all those bottles creates a bigger footprint,” Jennings said.
Gibson, a Westhaven resident in her mid-50s, says she’s from Wisconsin so she’s been drinking spring water all her life. When she moved to the Flint area from northern Michigan, she asked the community manager what kind of water was available.
“The manager said, ‘We have spring water,’ and I was sold on that question,” Gibson said.
Gibson, who is retired but has returned to school, said she loves water, and it is her “go-to thing.” She keeps a jug of tap water in the refrigerator and likes to add flavor packets to the water. She said she hasn’t noticed any problems with the appearance or smell of the water in the past two years.
She and her husband, Glenn Gibson, said they don’t remember receiving charges for arsenic violations. She said the violations concern her because she drinks the water every day, and so do her cats. Gibson said she doesn’t want any more health problems — she already has irritable bowel syndrome and a heart condition.
Infrastructure spending discussed
Paul Terranova, a Midwestern community organizer with MHAction, a nonprofit that advocates for mobile home residents, said it is not uncommon for residents to experience “serious water problems that last for months or years.”
“When I talk to residents, that’s the norm,” Terranova said. “It’s usually not a short-term problem, and often that’s because the solutions are solutions that require an investment in infrastructure, and these companies are not investors. They are extractors.”
John Lindley, president and CEO of the Michigan Manufactured Housing Association, said Terranova’s claims are “categorically false.” He argued that companies are investing in the infrastructure of mobile home communities.
“I think the millions and millions of dollars that companies from Michigan and otherwise have poured into the state’s manufactured housing communities to improve infrastructure speaks for itself,” he said.
asnabes@detroitnews.com
