Guest Opinion: Local Perspective on Water Issues in Flint

— from Paul Kamin, General Manager, Eastsound Water Users Association (EWUA) —

It is hard to miss the distressing news of high lead concentrations found in the public water supply in Flint, Michigan. Unfortunately this will be one of the most significant public health system failures in American history, with children being the primary victims.

As a quick synopsis, the public water supply in Flint, Michigan has been found to have dangerously high levels of lead. The lead is being leached out of the water system’s service lines between the cast iron water main in the street and many of the community’s older homes. In a 2014 cost-saving effort, the City of Flint began treating water from the Flint River, terminating their decades-long agreement to buy treated water from the City of Detroit. The Flint River water ended up having a more corrosive character with lower pH and higher chlorides.

This new water began leaching lead out the old water service lines. Independent testing has found lead levels at over 13 mg/l (milligrams per liter). The EPA’s maximum contaminant level is 0.015 mg/l. Some of Flint’s water had over 800 times the allowable lead levels! A local pediatrician discovered high lead levels in the blood of children she was seeing in her office. Unfortunately for the citizens of Flint, too many officials appear to have conspired to deny and hide the situation as evidence mounted that there was a serious problem.

Is there lead in our Eastsound Water?

First off, lead is seldom found in any “source water,” and it is not present in Eastsound groundwater or in Purdue Lake. The source of lead, if any, in drinking water is from plumbing pipes and fixtures. Eastsound Water has no lead service lines. (Lead service lines were used in the midwest and northeast states in the 1920s through 1940s.)

The highest lead risk in our area is in older homes that have copper pipes. Prior to 1986, lead was a component of the solder used in copper pipe joints. In 1986 the EPA banned lead in copper solder used in drinking water plumbing.

Eastsound Water regularly tests for lead (and dozens of other potential contaminants). We conduct 10 tests per year, from homes with older plumbing (pre-1986). Our results are reported to the State Department of Health. Click HERE to see our 2015 test results.

They show NO LEAD RESULTS over the EPA limit. The average lead test result is .003 mg/l, compared to a regulatory limit of .015 mg/l. EWUA’s test results from our highest risk homes is 20% of the regulatory limit. The 2015 results are in keeping with historic data.

The safety of your drinking water requires constant vigilance. That is our commitment, but we do work in partnership with our members to minimize the risks. If you have concern about potential of lead in an older home’s pipes and fixtures, contact Eastsound Water. We can help arrange for professional 3rd party testing.

Our phone number is 360 376 2127 or you can email me at:  pkamin@rockisland.com.