Mayor denies water test cheats

Guardian says 30 U.S. cities cheated

Southaven is taking issue with a British newspaper’s report that the city is among more than 30 U.S. cities that “cheated” on water quality testing, resulting in potentially false findings on lead levels.

The Guardian newspaper published a report last week in which it said its investigation found more than 30 cities in 17 states used water testing “cheats” of one type or another that potentially conceal dangerous lead levels.

The newspaper launched its investigation following the toxic water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

But Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite said June 6 his city followed specific instructions from the state Department of Health’s Bureau of Public Water Supply. Musselwhite added in a statement that the city is only required to test every three years and isn’t due for another test until 2018.

“It is very disheartening, at the minimum, to see a media organization paint a misleading picture with inaccurate information, but it is unacceptable to make a completely false assertion,” Musselwhite said.

The Guardian report listed 33 U.S. cities and

towns it said use testing methods that defy Environmental Protection Agency guidance. Specifically, the newspaper placed Southaven on a list of 10 cities — all in the South — that it said had testers run water slowly, which causes less lead to be dislodged from pipes.

The only other area city on the list was Jackson, Mississippi, which the story said uses the same method of testing as Southaven.

Water in some Jackson homes earlier this year tested for lead above recommended levels. It’s unclear why other DeSoto County, and Mississippi, cities weren’t cited since they all use the same state standards.

Other cities across the U.S., according to the report, employed different testing methods that potentially “cheated” on lead level results.

Musselwhite said the way in which water samples are obtained follows state standards and EPA guidelines. The federal agency has suggested changes that have been made since Southaven’s last required test.

“The (Guardian report) referenced a change in the manner with which the water sample is obtained communicated to the state from EPA,” Musselwhite’s statement said. “The city of Southaven has not completed a sample since the referenced changes as we are not due to complete another sample until 2018 per state instructions. Therefore, the suggestion that we ‘cheated’ the sampling process is completely false.”