Spotlight On Lead: How Utilities Are Handling Scrutiny

The ways water utilities manage lead levels are under increasing public scrutiny as a result of the contamination crisis in Flint, and some utilities are getting heat for their approaches.

In Arkansas, at least two utilities tested above federally actionable lead levels last year.

“Department of Health records indicate the 90th percentile results of the water tests [at two utilities] in 2015 were 23 parts per billion, well above the action level of 15 parts per billion,” Arkansas Online reported.

That includes Harrison Waterworks and Delight Waterworks. The utilities doubled down on treatment in response to these tests.

“Since the first of the year, Delight has increased the amount of the corrosion inhibitor zinc orthophosphate in its water supply to protect connection pipes and plumbing in people's homes that might be leaching lead into the water, and Harrison plans to inject zinc orthophosphate into its water for the first time later this year,” Arkansas Online reported.

Harrison Public Works Director Wade Phillips weighed in: "We started seeing some elevated lead levels at a few customers' taps over the years. It's kind of to the point where we need to do something about it so it doesn't become a bigger problem."

In Tennessee, two water providers recently drew attention for tests that showed elevated lead levels. State environmental regulators and lead testing data show that they were “out of compliance with water quality rules after testing positive for high levels of lead,” WBIR reported.

Is it just a fluke?

“State regulators say the high lead levels at the two — a White Pine agency serving a community of about 3,700 people and the other a factory with about 35 employees with its own water source in West Tennessee — are probably due to sampling errors. The state does not have a water quality problem,” the report said, citing statements from regulators.

Operators at Seattle Public Utilities recently provided reporters at KING a closeup on how the utility keeps residents safe from lead.

“What we do on the supply side and treatment side [is] optimize the chemistry, so it’s as least aggressive or least corrosive as possible on those [older] plumbing materials. It’s, frankly, it was part of what wasn’t happening in Flint, Michigan. So, a pretty stark contrast there,” according to Wylie Harper of Seattle Public Utilities.

“We don’t see lead in our source water,” Harper added. “We don’t see it in the watersheds, and we don’t see it coming out of the treatment plants. The typical source of lead is system materials or plumbing materials.”

To read more about how to prepare drinking water for consumers, visit Water Online’s Drinking Water Contaminant Removal Solutions Center.