Ever since the lead-tainted water systems in Flint, Michigan, made national headlines a few months ago, there has been a heightened concern about what is in the water that comes from our taps.
In an analysis of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data, The Associated Press has found that about 1,400 water systems across the country reported a sample above the EPA lead limit over the past three years.
Click here for an interactive graphic to find the most recent sampling results and the number of exceedances at your water system, search on state and city.
In Schuylkill County, five water systems have had tests over the last three years exceeding that level. None of the local systems serve schools or day cares. Two of the systems do not even provide drinking water as they are a cogeneration power plant (John B. Rich Memorial Power, Frackville), and a concrete manufacturing facility (Fabcon East Corp. LLC, Mahanoy City).
The three that do supply drinking water — Citizens Water Association of Deer Lake, the Auburn Municipal Authority and Mountain Water Authority, Joliett — said that their water is safe to drink and the test sample was either flawed or the problem was resolved.
Certain contaminants are tested for more frequently than others, as set forth by the Safe Drinking Water Act, according to the EPA. Compliance testing is done once a year.
Lead and copper enter drinking water primarily through plumbing materials, according to the EPA. Exposure may cause health problems from stomach distress to brain damage.
In 1991, the EPA published a regulation to control lead and copper in drinking water known as the Lead and Copper Rule. Since then, it has undergone revisions and the EPA currently does not have a health-hazard standard for lead in drinking water. However, the EPA has what it calls an “action level” of 15 parts per billion to trigger water-treatment actions if more than 10 percent of faucets sampled exceed the level.
“Flint is an anomaly,” John Quigley, secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection, said recently at a news conference.
According to the state Department of Health, the sheer number of old buildings coated with lead-based paint contribute more to lead-related health problems in Pennsylvania than tainted water systems.
Only 3.2 percent of Pennsylvania’s 3,054 water systems regulated under the federal lead and copper standards exceeded limits revealed during testing in 2015. Since then, about half — or 45 water systems — are back in compliance and others are well on their way.
Citizens Water Association of Deer Lake
The most recent lead sample in the county came from the Citizens Water Association of Deer Lake. The private, ground water system supplies drinking water to 380 homes in Deer Lake.
The last test exceeding the lead limit was taken on June 1, 2015. It had 40.8 parts per billion of lead and was the only test to exceed the limit since 2010. Of the six total samples taken at the site since July 1, 1993, only two exceeded the limit. Those six samples ranged from 9 to 55 ppb.
“We actually just did two tests and both came up negative,” Jim Haffey, president of the association, said Friday.
Haffey said the test that exceeded 15 ppb was taken improperly from a hose bend outside the house. Samples are supposed to be taken from the tap after sitting for several hours.
The Citizens Water Association has since hired Alfred Benesch & Co., Pottsville, to do the testing. The water is also treated with chlorine, Haffey said.
“It is a question of old pipes, but it is also a question of how the water sample was taken and where it was taken from,” he said. “That’s why we got Benesch involved. Turns out the method of taking that water sample was incorrect. There is no lead in the Deer Lake system.”
Auburn Municipal Authority
The Auburn Municipal Authority is the largest water system in the county with a test exceeding 15 ppb of lead in the last three years. Owned by the borough, the surface water system last had a test exceeding the limit on June 1, 2013. The test came in at 15.2 ppb and it was the only time the authority had exceeded the limit since 2010.
Since the first sample was taken at the site on July 1, 1993, three tests exceeded the 15 ppb mark. The five total samples taken at the site since 1993 ranged from 9 to 55 ppb.
Rick Wessner, supervisor for the Auburn Municipal Authority, explained the 2013 test that resulted in a violation. He said tests were taken at several different homes in the borough that had old pipes and that there are many variables that could have influenced the results. For example, he said the water is supposed to sit for six to eight hours before being drawn from the tap. It could have sat for more than 24 hours in a few of the homes.
“We did have one that was a hair high,” Wessner said Tuesday. “If they were all high, it could have been an issue with the water but it was just one, so I assume it was an issue with just the one house.”
Wessner said the authority adds chemicals to the water to make it less aggressive and stable so it doesn’t leach materials from the pipes.
Mountain Water Authority
The Mountain Water Authority in Joliett also had a test exceed 15 ppb in 2013. The joint municipal authority between Porter and Tremont townships uses a ground water system to provide drinking water to 495 residents.
The last test exceeding the limit came in at 40.8 ppb on June 1, 2013. It was the only time the authority had a test over the limit since 2010. A total of three tests exceeded the limit since 1993. Those tests ranged from 20.7 to 35 ppb.
Charles Yerges, water treatment plant operator and authority treasurer, said many of the homes they provide water to have older pipes where water can leach lead from. He said the water is treated every day with phosphate and soda ash to make it less corrosive. Since that 2013 test, none have reached the 15 ppb level.
It costs about $3,500 for the chemicals each year, he said. Injection pumps for each chemical also costs between $1,000 to $1,500 each and last only a few years, he said.
“It’s expensive,” Yerges said. “We have to have someone go down there every day mixing it and checking the pumps, taking chlorine tests.”
He said they only have one part-time employee paid $200 a month. The authority relies on federal funding for upgrades and volunteers to help repair lines, he said.
“We are spread out so far,” Yerges said. “We have miles of line and we don’t have the customer base to really support those lines.”
Schuylkill County Municipal Authority
Although the Schuylkill County Municipal Authority did not have any test results exceeding 15 ppb since 2013, it is the largest provider of drinking water in the county with more than 30,000 customers in 22 municipalities.
Patrick Caulfield, SCMA executive director, said that it would be an enormous cost to replace all the service lines, so the best way to prevent lead from getting into the water is through treatment. He said the authority has a system in place to control pH levels and chemical treatment in addition to using a corrosive inhibitor, a chemical compound that decreases the corrosion rate of metal.
“That provides a barrier on the interior of pipes to prevent lead and copper from leaching into the water stream,” Caulfield said Wednesday.
Caulfield said there is a heightened awareness about drinking water throughout the country due to the incident in Flint, Michigan, but assured his customers that they do not need to worry.
“We are well aware of the regulations and specialized treatment for that potential to be minimized,” Caulfield said.
Jon O’Connell, Citizens’ Voice staff writer, contributed to this report.