About 150 homeowners near Battle Creek may need to come up with thousands of dollars to eliminate elevated levels of arsenic from their well water.
The Battle Creek Enquirer reports each affected homeowner in Calhoun County's Emmett Township could see an estimated $19,000 bill for connection costs to Battle Creek's water system, or $26,000 if road improvements are added.
Testing by the Calhoun County Public Health Department found that about 83 percent of samples taken from March to May in the Cherokee Hills subdivision had arsenic levels higher than the 10-parts-per-billion federal standard.
Some tested as high as more than 40 parts per billion.
Officials said the arsenic is naturally occurring.
Long-term exposure to arsenic has been found to potentially result in major health problems.
