By Taylor Sisk
Staff Writer
OWASA and UNC are testing drinking water after elevated lead levels were found in three new UNC buildings and one that was recently renovated. Testing began after reports that the water tasted unusual in Caudill Labs, Chapman Hall and ITS Manning and in the newly renovated Campus Y.
Water at the Campus Y has now been cleared for drinking after the results of two tests indicated lead levels of 0.015 and 0.098 milligrams per liter. Public water systems are required by the Environmental Protection Agency to take action if 0.015 mg/L of lead are detected in the water. That level would be safe for an infant to ingest without causing elevated blood lead levels.
The elevated lead levels are believed to occur in new pipes because corrosion-inhibiting coating has not yet developed within the pipes and fixtures.
Once that coating has formed, the potential for release of lead and copper into the water is reduced.
Water use in the four buildings was restricted while the UNC Department of Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) – with the assistance of Dr. Marc Edwards, a corrosion engineer from Virginia Tech and a leading expert on lead levels in water – flushed the pipes and then re-sampled the water. Signs were posted in English and Spanish warning against drinking the water and water bottles were distributed to work staff. Results of testing from the other buildings were not yet in.
OWASA is likewise testing new buildings throughout the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area, including homes, businesses and public buildings. As of last week, results were in from seven buildings, each of which showed lead levels far below the limit set by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
Edwards says that the state of North Carolina is among the best in the country in regards to monitoring lead levels in drinking water.
“Many states simply assume their water is okay,†said Edwards, while North Carolina, through its Department of Environment and Natural Resources, has implemented “common-sense testing policies and raised general awareness throughout the state. There’s more sampling and more attention to detail.â€
OWASA conducts testing of tap water in older buildings as well. In accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, staff tests 30 homes every three years. Testing was last conducted in 2005, with all results indicating lead levels below a detectable level.
OWASA customers who would like free testing of their drinking water should contact OWASA’s lab at 537-4227 or rmonschein@owasa.org.