Ohio’s Environmental Protection Agency says lead levels in tap water were below the federal allowable limit in most of the recent samples requested by homeowners in the northeast OH village of Sebring.
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On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, and colleagues from MI introduced the Safe Drinking Water Improved Compliance Awareness Act.
Still, this good news comes with caveats.
The village must still provide bottled water or filtration systems to homes where results exceed the federal allowable level of lead, and work with the county to provide health screening for residents.
On the teleconference call, Brown was asked whether there’s a need to address other water contaminate issues that have been a concern in parts of OH, such as bacteria, fluoride issues and nitrates.
And, the state agency said, “The village is still required to complete all immediate, short-term and long-term actions required by the Ohio EPA Director”.
Residents just learned that seven of 40 homes tested turned up lead levels higher than EPA standards.
The outreach was part of a new push by Ohio EPA to address lead contamination in villages and mobile home parks across Ohio.
Ream & Haager confirmed to the state legislators and, separately, to CNN that the lab’s test results were sent to the Ohio EPA on August 21.
The Sebring water treatment plant and its water source now have no detectable lead, the news release said.
Health officials say lead poisoning can cause physical and mental delays in children, including deficits in attention spans and learning disabilities.
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It would also mandate that there to be a plan in place to make sure communities have access to clean, safe water while the system is being fixed, and would require the EPA to make annual state water quality reports available online. “Too many children are exposed to lead through paint in older homes, and even through dirt in their backyards”. On January 26, for instance, the state EPA said 121 of 123 samples taken from three area schools came back OK, with the two exceptions from drinking foundations at McKinley Junior/Senior High School.
