Lead
Public water supplies
are required by the EPA and KDHE to take tap samples for lead. Since 1992,
WaterOne has had a lead corrosion control program in place. As a result,
WateOne lead levels have been well below EPA standards. WaterOne goes
beyond federal requirements by sampling for lead and copper every year
even though we’re required to sample only every three years. This year
WaterOne will increase the number of samples to further ensure that lead
and copper levels throughout our system are well below federal standards
and to determine if any enhancements to water treatment can lower lead and
copper levels even further.
Precautions to
take –
Children under the age of six are the primary group at risk from the
effects of lead. Pregnant women should also take care to minimize lead
exposure as infants in the womb are at risk. While WaterOne’s monitoring
shows that lead levels are very low, there will be some variability from
home to home. Brass faucets and lead solder are the primary sources of
lead. To assist higher risk customers in minimizing their exposure to
lead, WaterOne recommends flushing the water from a faucet for 60 seconds
before drinking or cooking with it. The longer the water sits in the
plumbing, the more important it is to flush it.
Additional Information
about lead, provided by the American Water Works Association:
- The drinking
water community supports the thorough examination of the situation in
Washington, D.C. and the Lead and Copper Rule, which EPA is now
undertaking. Any changes to the Lead and Copper Rile or the Safe
Drinking Water Act should be based on the best available science.
- Consumers should
be aware that most lead exposure comes from paint chips and dust in the
home -- not from drinking water. State and federal heath agencies
can provide resources that help consumers protect themselves from all
sources of lead contamination.
- The drinking
water community is committed to protecting public health. While
the vast majority of water utilities do not exceed the lead action
level, the drinking water community is continuing to explore ways to
reduce the number of people exposed to lead in drinking water.
- The Lead and
Copper Rule provides a framework for utilities to (a) determine if their
corrosion control program is effective at limiting lead exposure; (b)
take additional steps to protect public health; (c) and ensure consumers
are notified if the utility finds lead above the action level in the
community.
1. The Lead and Copper Rule is based on a "treatment
technique" requirement in which the lead action level is a trigger --
the action level is not health based.
2. Monitoring under the LCR takes place at worst-case
sampling locations as samples are taken of water standing overnight in
homes where lead pipe or lead solder is present.
- Optimized
corrosion control programs employed by water utilities are effective
means of limiting lead exposure. EPA's data confirms that the
elevated lead levels in Washington D.C., are not common nationwide.
More than 96 percent of utilities reporting data do not exceed the
15-parts-per-billion action level for lead.
- Lead in drinking
water does not come from water leaving treatment plants or in water
mains. In instances of high lead levels in water, the most common
sources are lead-based solder used to join copper pipe, faucets made of
brass and chrome-plated brass, and in some cases, pipes made of lead
that connect a home to the water main.
- At high levels,
lead can have serious health consequences. Concerned consumers can
take additional steps to limit exposure from drinking water:
1. Draw water for drinking or cooking after
another high water use activity such as bathing or washing your clothes
so that fresh water is drawn into your household plumbing.
2. Alternately, flush your water tap if the water
in the faucet has gone unused for more than a few hours. Let
the cold water run from the tap until it feels noticeably colder before
using it for drinking or cooking. If you have a lead service line,
you may need to flush for a longer time.
3. Consumers who choose to use a home filter to provide
additional protection against lead should make sure it is NSF-certified
for that purpose and is properly maintained.
4. Determine if lead is indeed present at levels
of concern to you in your home by having your water tested by a
state-certified laboratory.
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