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HEALTH Lead not on tap for Medford's water Water sources and line upgrades make lead concentrations unlikely Comment By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 11, 2016 at 5:41 AM By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 11, 2016 at 5:41 AM Protect your water supply --> Here are some simple steps you can take to reduce your possible exposure to lead in drinking water from your home plumbing: Run your water to flush out lead. If water hasn’... » Read more X Protect your water supply Here are some simple steps you can take to reduce your possible exposure to lead in drinking water from your home plumbing: Run your water to flush out lead. If water hasn’t been used for several hours, run the water for 30 seconds to 2 minutes or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature before drinking or cooking. Use cold, fresh water for cooking and preparing baby formula. Do not use water from the hot tap to cook, drink, or make baby formula. Lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Do not boil water to remove lead. Boiling water will not reduce lead. Consider using a filter. Confirm the filter is approved to reduce lead. Consider buying low-lead fixtures. As of Jan. 1, 2014 all pipes, fittings, and fixtures are required to contain less than 0.25% lead. When buying new fixtures, consumers should seek out those with the lowest lead content. Regularly clean your faucet aerator. Particles containing lead from solder or household plumbing can become trapped in your faucet aerator. Regularly cleaning every few months will remove these particles and reduce your exposure to lead. If you are concerned about lead in your drinking water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791) or at www.epa.gov/safewater/lead . Other resources: Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Program: 971-673-0405, www.public.health.oregon.gov/HealthyEnvironments/DrinkingWater Jackson County Health Department, 541-774-8208 Neilson Research Corporation, 541-770-5678 » Social News A Flint, Michigan-sized drinking water disaster in the Rogue Valley is not likely, according to the Medford Water Commission. Local water officials, however, are paying close attention to what unfolded in Flint, where an estimated 6,000 to 12,000 children were exposed to lead-laced water after the city switched its water supply source to the corrosive Flint River. Lead is a naturally occurring element that is rarely found in water sources. Mismanagement within Flint’s water treatment program as well as an aging infrastructure are blamed for lead leaching from service lines running between the city’s water mains and the homes, and from sub-standard plumbing inside the homes — ultimately causing the tap water to be contaminated with high levels of lead. Medford Water Commission supplies water from the Big Butte Springs and Rogue River watersheds to Medford residents as well as the cities of Central Point, Eagle Point, Jacksonville, Phoenix, Talent and Ashland. In the weeks since the Flint catastrophe, MWC has published a statement on its website and in the form of a Guest Opinion in the Feb. 7 edition of the Mail Tribune, reassuring its approximately 131,000 customers that the Flint incident “is unlikely to happen here because Medford’s drinking water comes from two high quality sources that meet or surpass federal and state drinking water standards.” The Oregon Department of Human Services also notes that “lead in drinking water is not a common source of lead poisoning in Oregon.” MWC was formed in 1926, and in contrast to Flint’s water utility, the local utility is “unique in that, by city charter, we operate separately from the city, which has allowed us to focus on drinking water only,” said Sara Bristol, MWC’s public information officer. MWC officials also confirmed that unlike many older cities back East, lead service lines were not used extensively within Medford’s water system. MWC began upgrading its infrastructure in the1930s, and all known lead service lines within the system were replaced more than 30 years ago. In the very rare cases that lead lines are found, they’re removed immediately. “Every once in awhile, a lead line is found,” said Bristol. “Two were found in the last nine years, and they’ve since been removed.” Historical preservationist George Kramer said that iron pipes were commonly used prior to World War II. However, lead solders commonly were used to connect copper pipes or brass faucets in homes built between 1970 and 1985, he said. Lead levels in drinking water are likely to be highest if a home has faucets or fittings made of brass, which contains some lead; the home has lead pipes; or, the home has copper pipes with lead solder. Nearly all homes built prior to the mid-1980s still have lead solder connecting copper pipes. In compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Oregon Health Authority, MWC collects samples and tests for lead every three years at 30 targeted residential taps in homes built between 1982 and 1986, among the last to use copper pipes with lead solder. The amount of lead detected in Medford’s samples has always fallen well below the “action level” determined by the EPA, Bristol said. The EPA requires at least 90 percent of the homes tested to have lead levels of less than 15 parts per billion “In 2013, the date of our most recent sampling, the 90th percentile value for Medford was 1.4 parts per billion,” Bristol said. Other Rogue Valley municipal water utilities conduct similar tests. Smaller cities, such as Gold Hill, Rogue River, Jacksonville and Shady Cove target 10 to 20 homes. The results of the tests are reported to the public in the MWC’s and other cities’ annual Water Quality Report, as required by the EPA. Ensuring that the water flowing from the household tap is lead-free, however, also requires due diligence by the property owner. “While it is our policy to replace leaded pipes when they are located within our system, property owners are responsible for maintaining plumbing fixtures from the water meter to the tap,” Bristol said. Older homes may use lead pipes, which are generally a dull gray color and are very soft. They can be identified easily by carefully scratching them with a key or coin. If the pipe is made of lead, the area scratched will turn a bright silver color. Reach Grants Pass freelance writer Tammy Asnicar at [email protected]. By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 11, 2016 at 5:41 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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