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While three buildings currently have a filtering system—LakeVille High School, LakeVille Middle School, and Otter Lake Elementary School—a discharge permit is needed.

LakeVille School Super-intendent Ted Gardella said Friday the district is currently working with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality on the problem.

"The problem is we haven't been able to discharge the backwater because the medium has to be washed," Gardella said. "We're working with the DEQ and we'd like to eventually get rid of the need to use bottled water."

While the district works on obtaining a discharge permit, the water filtering is expected to potentially bring arsenic measurements as low as 5 parts per billion (ppb).

Two years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency stipulated a new federal mandate that all public water systems must have arsenic water measurements of 10 ppb or less.

In the meantime, bottled water was brought in at all three district buildings after the health department advised against consuming well water. The district will again need to bring in that bottled water again this school year.

Arsenic is a semi metal that's odorless and tasteless. It enters drinking water from natural, agricultural and industrial deposits. Long term exposure to arsenic can lead to cancer.

Jennifer J. Decker can be reached at 664-0811, Ext. 8125 or jennifer.decker@

lapeergroup.com.