MASON, Mich — "I moved in in December of 2025."
A former resident at Mason Manor tells me she started experiencing issues with her water within the first 30 days of moving in.
WATCH BELOW: Safe or not? Residents at Mason Manor question the state of the water
That resident wants to remain anonymous but did agree to have her voice recorded during an interview.
"It had a really bad smell."
She tells me the water comes from a private well.
The smell, staining and bright orange color all caught her attention.
"Immediately I contacted management. All they did was point me in the direction to the dollar store for cleaning solution."
She says she then asked management, Yes! Communities, for water testing results. After refusal, she says she spent over one hundred dollars to have her own testing done.
"It showed elevated levels of arsenics, sulfates, and nitrates."
Another concern was radium, which is a naturally occurring radioactive metal that often enters water from surrounding bedrock.
She says the radium levels are just below the max contaminent, and she showed me a text exchange with someone from the state's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
"He basically said it's within the legal limits all you can do is try to sway them to do the right thing."
I also reached out to EGLE and they said in a statement :
"GLE’s Lansing District staff are aware of the water quality issues and Mason Manor and have been working with the operator for a number of years to address the issues. Based on the latest compliance monitoring data received by EGLE, the water system meets the regulatory requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The primary issues effecting the water system are high iron levels and higher than normal water pressure associated with a new well that was brought into service in December of 2025. Mason Manor had been working with EGLE since 2023 on an Administrative Consent Order to replace a well that was undersized and exceeding regulatory standards for radium.
The new well is in compliance for radium, but producing high levels of iron that are affecting the smell, taste and color of the water. The well is also operating at a higher than normal pressure that is causing water main and service line breaks in the system. These line breaks have led to several boil orders in the community since December.
The US EPA and State of Michigan look at some minerals like iron under the EPA’s Secondary Drinking Water Standards. These non-mandatory water quality standards are established as guidelines to assist public water systems in managing their drinking water for aesthetic considerations, such as taste, color, and odor.
EGLE staff remain committed to working with the water supply operators at Mason Manor to stabilize and improve the operations of their water plant and advise them on how to improve the quality of the water produced there."
I also reached out to Yes! Communities who owns the park, but did not hear back.
The former resident said she decided to move out after her doctor deemed the conditions unsafe.
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