Ingham County, Michigan: drinking water report. Ingham County – Lansing – serves about 280,000 residents.
Ingham County – Lansing – serves about 280,000 residents. The Lansing Board of Water & Light draws entirely from groundwater, operating over 40 wells that tap the Saginaw Formation aquifer. East Lansing and Michigan State University maintain separate systems. The county's reliance on groundwater means water quality reflects the geological and contamination history of the aquifer system.
Lansing's groundwater supply has been impacted by industrial contamination from the city's manufacturing past. Michigan's strict PFAS MCLs for seven compounds apply to all systems. UCMR5 data shows PFAS detections in Ingham County systems.
According to Michigan EGLE's 2024 monitoring data, one Ingham County system exceeded state PFAS limits and required treatment installation. Michigan's proactive regulatory approach means contamination that might go untreated in other states is being addressed. The broader Lansing-area groundwater picture also includes legacy contamination from industrial solvents in some areas.
Ingham County's all-groundwater supply means PFAS and industrial contaminants are the primary concerns. Michigan's strict standards provide stronger protection than most states.
Check your water for data specific to your provider. For PFAS, activated carbon or reverse osmosis provide household-level protection. Our water filter guide covers options. Pull your detailed report, and visit our Michigan page for statewide data.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Ingham County, MI.
The EPA places Ingham County, MI in Zone 2 - a moderate-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level between 2 and 4 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.
65% of homes in Ingham County, MI were built before 1980, and 23% 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 Ingham County, MI averages 8.6 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