Harbor Beach starts state-required drinking-water cross-connection inspections

HARBOR BEACH, Mich. — Harbor Beach has launched a cross-connection control program to protect the city’s drinking water, city notices posted this summer and early fall say.

The program covers on-site surveys and the testing of backflow preventers, according to posts on the city’s website signed by Kelly Osentoski. A companion notice for residential customers says Harbor Beach is conducting the work to keep contaminants from entering the public system through unprotected plumbing links, and it points residents to an online link to schedule a home survey.

Michigan requires every community water supply to run such a program. Part 14 of the Safe Drinking Water Act administrative rules prohibits unprotected cross connections and directs supplies to inspect accounts, test devices, keep records and educate customers, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy says. EGLE oversees the work statewide.

A cross connection is an unprotected plumbing arrangement that can let water flow backward into the distribution system when pressure drops or a pump overcomes system pressure, EGLE’s guidance explains. Backflow preventers are the usual fix; some types must be tested periodically by a certified tester, and “the cost of installation and testing is often paid by the water customer,” the department says.

Harbor Beach’s notices do not spell out a citywide inspection schedule or say whether the city or the property owner pays for any devices that must be installed after a survey. Residents with questions can call City Hall at 989-479-3363. The mailing address listed on the notices is 766 State Street, Harbor Beach, MI 48441.

Sources:
City of Harbor Beach, “Cross Contamination Program,” accessed Oct. 15, 2026, https://www.harborbeach.com/harbor-beach-news/cross-contamination-program
City of Harbor Beach, “Residential Cross Control Inspections,” accessed Oct. 15, 2026, https://www.harborbeach.com/harbor-beach-news/residential-cross-control-inspections
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, “Cross Connection Control,” accessed Oct. 15, 2026, https://www.michigan.gov/egle/about/organization/drinking-water-and-environmental-health/community-water-supply/cross-connection-control
Photo: Dougtone, “Harbor Beach, Michigan - 9297753201.jpg,” June 23, 2013, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harbor_Beach,_Michigan_-_9297753201.jpg

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