Sterling Heights, Michigan’s Home for
Water Softeners, Water Filters,
& Water Delivery

Yes. The most recent water quality report says the city met all monitoring and reporting requirements and lists no violations. Turbidity, a measure of how well filtration is working, peaked at 0.14 NTU, and every sample came in below 0.3 NTU. Nitrate measured 0.33 ppm against a 10 ppm limit.

Moderately hard. GLWA’s regional supply averages about 106 ppm, roughly 6.2 grains per gallon; Sterling Heights’ report doesn’t publish its own hardness number or mineral analysis. Water in that range commonly leaves spots on glassware, a film on shower doors and gradual scale inside water heaters and fixtures. An in-home water test will give you an exact reading for your tap.

Sterling Heights buys treated surface water from the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA). Unlike Detroit and many Wayne County suburbs, which are served by GLWA’s Detroit River plants, Sterling Heights is supplied by GLWA’s Lake Huron Water Treatment Plant, which draws from the lower Lake Huron watershed. The city then delivers that water through its own mains to neighborhoods across this Macomb County city along the Clinton River.

At the Lake Huron plant, GLWA uses alum coagulation and sand filtration to remove particles, disinfects with chlorine, adds fluoride, and feeds orthophosphate to help control corrosion in pipes. Chlorine stays in the water on its way to your tap; the most recent report shows a highest running average of 1.02 ppm total chlorine, under the 4 ppm limit, though some households still notice the taste or smell.

No. The city reports 0 lead service lines and 0 lines of unknown material out of 39,866 total service lines, so every line in its inventory has a confirmed non-lead material. That sets Sterling Heights apart from many older communities in the region that are still identifying and replacing lead lines.

In the most recent round of home sampling, the 90th percentile lead result was 0 ppb, and no homes were above Michigan’s 12 ppb action level. Copper results ranged from 0.0 to 0.3 ppm, with no homes above the 1.3 ppm action level. Small amounts of lead or copper can still come from a home’s own faucets and fittings, which an in-home test can check.

Yes, at low levels. Disinfection byproducts form when chlorine reacts with natural organic matter in the water. The most recent report shows total trihalomethanes at a highest running average of 35 ppb (limit 80 ppb) and HAA5 at 17 ppb (limit 60 ppb). A reverse osmosis system or whole-house filter can reduce these byproducts along with chlorine taste.

The most recent water quality report lists PFOA, one of the most widely studied PFAS compounds, at up to 2 parts per trillion, below both Michigan’s 8 ppt limit and the 4 ppt federal limit. No other PFAS compounds are listed in the report. A certified reverse osmosis system can reduce PFAS at the kitchen tap for homeowners who want added peace of mind.

Yes. Fluoride is added during treatment at the Lake Huron plant and measured 0.58 ppm, well below the 4 ppm maximum contaminant level. Sodium measured 5.3 ppm.

With no lead service lines in the city’s inventory, treatment in Sterling Heights is mostly about hardness, chlorine and taste. Much of the city’s housing was built from the 1960s onward, and with regional GLWA water averaging about 106 ppm (6.2 gpg), a water softener helps protect water heaters, dishwashers and fixtures from scale. Whole-house filtration reduces chlorine taste and odor at every tap, and reverse osmosis gives you filtered drinking water at the kitchen sink. A free in-home water test shows what your home needs.

You can access the most recent Sterling Heights Water Quality Report from the City of Sterling Heights here.