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The elevated levels of lead in Flint, Michigan, drinking water have heightened our attention to the quality of our local drinking water.
A 2014 Pennsylvania Department of Health annual report revealed that children in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area have higher lead concentrations in their blood than children in Flint, Michigan. Certainly these reports have many locals asking, “Is our water contaminated with lead as well?”
To answer that question, we must clarify the differences between our water sources and the water sources in Flint.
Northeastern Pennsylvania is not facing the same source water quality challenges as those in Michigan, which means our risk to lead exposure through drinking water is not similar to theirs.
In Northeastern Pennsylvania our municipal water sources are typically from groundwater or surface reservoirs. The same water sources have been in place for the past 30 years or longer. In Flint, the water source for their drinking water supplier was changed in April 2014 from Lake Huron to the Flint River in Michigan. The quality of those two water sources is very different, leading to the problems that resulted.
When evaluating municipal water supplies, it is important to understand how the characteristics of the source water and the pipes in the distribution system can interact to create drinking water that has dangerous quantities of lead and other metals. Water that is corrosive will more readily leach iron, copper and lead from pipes composed of those metals. Corrosion often displays very visible signs, including discoloration of the water or staining of fixtures. The Flint River water proved to be much more corrosive than the Lake Huron water, and the public noticed the difference through the visible signs.
In Northeastern Pennsylvania most waters are slightly hard to moderately hard, meaning that they contain more calcium and magnesium. Such water, which has low corrosivity, tends to create a layer of scale on the inside of the pipe. That layer forms a barrier, preventing the leaching of metals into the water.
Water treatment plants are required by state and federal law to employ corrosion-control measures – such as adding a phosphate solution – to minimize the amount of lead dissolving from pipes into the water. Authorities in Flint, Michigan, did not take the necessary steps to address the increased corrosive character of the river water during their changeover.
The low corrosive character of waters and the corrosion-control measures taken by water treatment plants in Northeast Pennsylvania limit the solubility of lead in water. Thus, drinking water was unlikely to be the predominant factor causing higher levels of lead in the blood of children reported two years ago by the state Department of Health. On Feb. 8, the state Department of Environmental Protection issued a news release indicating that water is not the cause of lead exposure in Pennsylvania.
That said, the plumbing in your house might still pose a risk for possible lead contamination, especially if it was built before 1980, due to lead solder that was commonly used. So, just as you are responsible for maintaining the quality of the electric system in your home, you are responsible for the quality of the plumbing in your home that carries the water delivered by your water treatment facility.
Some easy practices can minimize lead concentrations in the water you use. First, let your water run for a minute before you drink it or use it for cooking, because water that has been in contact with your plumbing for a longer period of time can have higher levels of metals. Second, use cold water (not hot tap water) for cooking and drinking because metals are less likely to dissolve in cold water. Third, be aware that boiling will not remove lead from your water.
If you remain concerned about potential levels of elevated lead in your water, you can have your water tested by a local laboratory for around $20. Certified laboratories can be found at the state DEP’s website, www.dep.pa.gov. In-home treatment systems are available, if tests show that you have high lead levels.
We should learn from the experience of Flint, Michigan, but not be alarmed by the series of events that took place there. We also should remember it is our responsibility to be proactive in the maintenance of our homes and the habits we maintain to ensure the high quality of our water from the treatment plant to our drinking glass.