Water systems serving more than 264,000 MA residents have had testing samples exceed the federal lead standard at least once during the past three years.
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A federal rule that took effect in 1991 is created to protect the public from unsafe levels of lead in drinking water. The affected systems are large and small, public and private, and include 278 systems that are owned and operated by schools and day care centers in 41 states.
The Tonto National Forest will be taking down notices it placed around campgrounds, a visitor center and office at Roosevelt Lake after test results Thursday showed the system now is in compliance, forest spokeswoman Carrie Templin said.
Indeed, lead was found in the drinking water in each of the Ridgewood school district’s schools and the administration building, according to results emailed to parents recently.
In the Marysville district, officials expect to spend tens of thousands of dollars this year on bottles of water for three campuses. But those who live in homes built before 1930 might have lead service lines – water lines running from the house to the water main – and those homes built between 1982 and 1986 might have copper service lines soldered with lead.
The state’s Energy and Environment Cabinet said in a release that 409 public water systems in Kentucky over the last four years have taken more than 10,000 water samples for lead at households and businesses.
While no amount of lead exposure is considered safe, the federal lead rule calls for water systems to keep levels below 15 parts per billion. Since then, it has undergone revisions and the EPA now does not have a health-hazard standard for lead in drinking water. Most use well water and appear to be isolated cases, not believed to have caused health problems. It would require parental notification if elevated lead levels are found.
While more than half of the waters systems are privately owned and serve a relatively tiny slice of the state’s population of 6.7 million, a handful of larger municipal systems have had testing samples above the standard of 15 parts per billion since 2013.
At Grandview Hospital in suburban Philadelphia, where water was found to contain an excessive lead level during a 2013 test, the solution was to provide bottled water to patients, visitors and staff, replace fountains with bottled water dispensers and filter ice machines in cafeteria and patient areas.
Wessner said the authority adds chemicals to the water to make it less aggressive and stable so it doesn’t leach materials from the pipes.
To reduce the threat of tainted water, residents with water softeners can run water for 30-60 seconds before drawing drinking water, he said.
“Unfortunately, water issues have plagued our Old Lyme facility for several years, even before lead was detected as an issue there”, said DEEP spokesman Dennis Schain.
Galesburg Public Works Director Wayne Carl said that is the most cost-effective way to address the problem, which he insisted doesn’t contribute to childhood lead poisoning. Delight Waterworks reported at least one lead sample above the federal level in nine of 16 sampling periods in the last 25 years.
“We replaced one lead service line in 2016, and a few in 2015”, Lanzafame said. But that doesn’t mean they’re entirely free of lead.
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But state officials and some water service providers have sent out reassurances to customers and pledged to take further action.
