DATABASE: For lead at taps, tests show state 99% in the clear

Only 2 waterworks flagged

More than 99 percent of Arkansas' 643 conventional water utilities passed the latest round of tap-water testing for lead content, according to state Department of Health data reviewed by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Federal regulations require water utilities to periodically test the tap water of a sampling of customers for lead.

A recent water crisis in Flint, Mich., has led to national concerns about lead contamination. Flint residents have been faced with lead-contaminated water since the city in 2014 switched to a new supply that was not properly treated, resulting in corrosion of lead pipes, officials have said.

But Jeff Stone, director of the engineering section at the Health Department, said Arkansas utilities consistently score well in water quality.

"One thing I wish people knew was that in a lot of these problem areas, like Flint, a lot of the problems center around those lead-pipe service lines between the [water] main and the building. It happens to be that, due to Arkansas being a more recently built-out state, we don't have very many of those," Stone said.

Unlike other contaminants, lead often is introduced into a water supply by rusty pipes, solder used to join pipes or faucets that the water travels through after it leaves a utility's treatment plant. Typically, lead levels in water are practically undetectable when the water leaves a treatment plant, officials said.

Congress banned the use of lead solder containing greater than 0.2 percent lead and restricted the lead content of faucets, pipes and other plumbing materials to 8 percent in 1986 to cut down on lead poisoning, which occurs when the metal builds up in the body, often over a period of months or years.

"I think that while we might have an occasional localized problem that needs to be addressed, one of the safest things for people to do in the state of Arkansas is drink from their local water system," Stone said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set an "action level" of 15 parts per billion for lead and copper levels in water -- meaning any utility with a 90th percentile score of that level or higher should begin corrective measures and start educating its consumer base on the results.

A 90th percentile score of 15 parts per billion means 90 percent of the sample results were below that level, while 10 percent were above. To be clear, the EPA has not determined any amount of lead in water is safe, only acceptable.

In Arkansas, just two utilities' percentile scores for lead in tap water were over the action level during the most recent test period in 2015: Delight Waterworks and Harrison Waterworks, both with a lead level of 23 parts per billion.

In Delight in Pike County, the water system serves about 1,500 people and had three of 20 test samples register over the action level in 2015. For the Harrison system, which serves about 16,000 people, 11 of 60 samples tested over the limit.

Results can vary from testing to testing. In Harrison's past seven tests, dating back to 2002, the 2015 test was the second in which the utility tested over the action level. The utility also tested over the limit one time in 2014.

Harrison Public Works Director Wade Phillips plans to recommend to the City Council that the city start being proactive by adding supplements to the water to limit corrosion, thus decreasing the lead that comes from pipes.

"The water is safe to drink as it is right now. What we're seeing is giving us the indication that if it continues, it could become a problem. It would be a risk to public health. None of the levels that were above the action level came back high enough that it would be considered toxic. But, it's enough to get our attention and let us know that if we don't do anything now, it could potentially get worse in the future," Phillips said.

"We are going to try to stop this before we get to the point where we get four or five different rounds [of testing] where we are exceeding the action level."

In Delight's past seven tests, which date back to 2011, the latest test was the fourth in which the utility was over the action level. It tested as high as 45 parts per billion in 2012.

Messages left for Delight Waterworks officials weren't returned this week.

When water utilities are created, they start out doing lead testing every six months. If they measure under the action level for two testing periods in a row, they then sample after a year. If that test clears, they are switched to a three-year testing cycle.

The state Health Department has to approve a utility's testing plan.

For the testing, selected homeowners -- generally in the areas of town with the oldest pipes -- are asked to not use a kitchen or bathroom faucet for six hours and then take a sample of cold water after the dormant period. Those water samples are then sent to the Health Department's laboratory for testing.

Several actions could affect the results of the tests. If the faucet has sat unused for days, it is more likely to test positive for lead that has settled in the pipes. Hot water also is more prone to lead content, Stone said.

"There's variability. Once we see a high result, we take more samples during another relatively soon time period to try to determine if it was just variability or if it is a change for whatever reasons," he said.

If a utility tests at or above the action level, it is tested again within six months, he said.

If a utility repeatedly tests over the action level, it also is required to implement corrosion control within four years. Currently 50 utilities in Arkansas are under this requirement, according to Teresa Lee, a Health Department statewide supervisor for transient water systems, which are those that provide water in a place such as a gas station or campground where people do not remain for long periods of time.

For corrosion control, utilities can either adjust the pH level in water -- typically a lower pH is more acidic and more corrosive -- or they can add orthophosphate to the water, which adds a protective coating on the pipes. Both actions aid in stopping the deterioration of pipes, therefore reducing the lead content in the water, officials said.

Central Arkansas Water uses both corrosion-control methods, which isn't a requirement. The water utility is the largest in the state, serving about 400,000 people.

The utility's latest testing -- in 2013 -- showed a lead content of 4 parts per billion. When the water leaves the treatment plants, the lead content is undetectable, a spokesman said.

"Because there is lead in all of these plumbing fixtures and other things, lead management is a key activity that every utility needs to partake in," spokesman John Tynan said. "We have a strong track record of doing that."

Central Arkansas Water -- and other utilities across the state -- were adding orthophosphate to water long before they were concerned about lead content. Reducing pipe corrosion also lengthens the life of the pipe infrastructure the utilities rely on to get water to their customers.

"It forms a thin, protective layer on all pipes throughout the distribution system and even in your home," Tynan said. "It prevents the water from really coming in contact with those plumbing fixtures and therefore decreases the likelihood there's going to be corrosive reaction."

Because of such protective measures, customers in central Arkansas don't have to worry about lead, he said.

"What we don't want people to do is get alarmed and go out and spend all this money replacing pipes or plumbing fixtures," Tynan said. "We manage water even if they are one of those high-risk homes [with older pipes.] We reduce the likelihood that lead leaches in."

A Section on 02/05/2016

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