Tests find no lead danger in city’s tap water

Tests for lead in Columbus’ water system have come back clean.

Conducted this summer, the tests show that the tap water pouring from faucets around Columbus contains very low levels of lead, far below the threshold that would require the city to take action.

“Our numbers basically are all really good. If it was above a certain level we would need to let the homeowner know,” said Matt Steele, water supply and treatment coordinator.

Concerns about lead in drinking water began to grow in 2015, when a state of emergency was issued in Flint, Michigan, because of elevated levels found in the city’s water. Tests found elevated lead levels in Sebring, a village outside Youngstown, as well in 2015.

Residents in Sebring didn’t find out about the elevated lead levels for months. Sebring’s former water system operator was criminally charged with recklessly failing to provide timely notice to affected customers.

Columbus tested 50 sites, with at least half of those done in places that have lead service lines as required by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. Three of the 50 testing sites showed more than 1 part per billion of lead in the water: one at 1.1, one at 2.2 and another at 3.4.The threshold for action is 15 parts per billion.

The results this year are typical of past tests in Columbus, Steele said. The last testing was done in 2014.

Across the state, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has 12 advisories for water systems that have exceeded lead thresholds. Ohio has about 1,200 public water systems, said James Lee, an EPA spokesman.

About 30,000 Columbus homes are tapped into lead service lines, most of them in older areas of the city off High and Broad streets.

The city stopped using lead lines in the 1950s and replaces them whenever crews encounter one during a repair or when new connections are installed for a new waterline.

Columbus officials have said it would cost about $150 million to replace all of the city’s lead service lines.

The city has an online interactive map to show where it believes lead service lines are located. The city is responsible for the line up to a shutoff valve near the street, but homeowners are responsible for the line between the valve and the home.

Steele said the city has an “optimized corrosion control” program to tamp down lead levels. The city works on the chemistry of its water supply to make sure it is less corrosive, and it coats pipes with a chemical to prevent lead from leaching into the water.