Brighton, Michigan’s Home for
Water Softeners, Water Filters,
& Water Delivery

Brighton’s city water is very hard. The most recent water quality report lists hardness at 25 to 27 grains per gallon, which works out to roughly 445 ppm. At that level, scale builds up quickly on faucets, showerheads and glassware, and inside water heaters, dishwashers and boilers. Because the city doesn’t soften its water, a water softener is the usual way to deal with it at home.

Brighton’s well water carries enough iron that the city’s treatment includes an iron removal step before water enters the mains. The water quality report doesn’t publish an iron number for the finished water. Homes on private wells in the surrounding townships don’t get that treatment, so orange or rust-colored staining on fixtures and laundry is a common sign that iron is reaching the tap. A water test shows how much is there.

Yes. The city states it met all USEPA and EGLE standards and all monitoring and reporting requirements, and the most recent water quality report lists no violations. Arsenic and nitrate were not detected, and naturally occurring radium measured 1.323 pCi/L, below the 5 pCi/L limit. Chlorine was kept at a running annual average of 0.35 ppm, well under the 4 ppm maximum.

Brighton runs its own water system instead of buying water from the Great Lakes Water Authority. Three city wells supply the system, and three storage tanks hold 1.62 million gallons. From the downtown Mill Pond area to neighborhoods in the adjoining townships that are connected to city mains, customers receive the same treated groundwater.

Your water source depends on your address. Brighton Township says most homes and businesses there supply their own water from deep private wells; public water from the Livingston Community Water Authority (LCWA) covers only the Whitmore Lake Road / Old US-23 corridor and the Country Club Annex. Much of Green Oak Township is also on private wells outside the LCWA service area. In Genoa Township, some neighborhoods are served by MHOG, the City of Brighton or the Oak Pointe district, and the rest rely on private wells. MHOG’s most recent report shows moderately hard water averaging 94 ppm, with all 6,257 of its service lines non-lead. On a private well, no utility tests your water for you, so hardness, iron and other minerals are worth checking.

The city removes iron, disinfects with chlorine, adds fluoride and feeds polyphosphate to help limit corrosion in pipes and household plumbing. Disinfection byproducts are low: total trihalomethanes measured 37.6 ppb (limit 80 ppb) and HAA5 measured 2 ppb (limit 60 ppb). Hardness is not removed during treatment, so it arrives at your tap.

No. The city’s service line inventory lists 4,564 lines, with none made of lead and none of unknown material. In the most recent round of home sampling, the reported lead level was 1 ppb, with results from 0 to 3 ppb and no homes above Michigan’s 12 ppb action level. Copper was reported at 1.1 ppm against the 1.3 ppm action level, with individual results ranging from 0.2 to 1.5 ppm. Copper usually comes from a home’s own plumbing, so an in-home test is the best way to know what’s at your tap.

The most recent water quality report shows all seven PFAS compounds Michigan regulates, including PFOA, PFOS and PFHxS, below the 2 ppt reporting level, meaning none were detected. For reference, Michigan’s limits are 8 ppt for PFOA, 16 ppt for PFOS and 51 ppt for PFHxS. Private wells aren’t covered by the city’s testing; homeowners who want added peace of mind can reduce PFAS at the kitchen tap with a certified reverse osmosis system.

Yes. Fluoride is added during treatment and measured 0.63 ppm, with results from 0.42 to 0.95 ppm, well below the 4 ppm limit. Sodium measured 44 ppm, which is worth knowing if you’re watching sodium in your diet.

At 25 to 27 grains per gallon, most Brighton homes on city water benefit from a water softener to protect plumbing, water heaters and fixtures from scale. Township homes on private wells often deal with hardness and iron together, and a softener paired with whole-house filtration can handle both. For drinking water, reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink reduces sodium and other dissolved minerals. A free in-home water test shows what your own tap needs.

You can access the most recent City of Brighton Water Quality Report here.