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More lead pipes found, most removed Wednesday Oct 5, 2016 at 4:58 PM Oct 5, 2016 at 7:06 PM Damian Mann Mail Tribune @reporterdm Medford Water Commission crews have removed 19 lead pipes out of 21 found so far after a citywide search conducted over the summer. The commission plans to remove the remaining two lead pipes after it makes arrangements to dig up a portion of busy Central Avenue near 10th Street, said Ken Johnson, operations manager. "We have to dig up three traffic lanes," Johnson said.  To date, 294 meters have been inspected and will require more testing to determine whether a lead pipe known as a pigtail might be connected to the main water line in the street. A test hole has been dug near 85 of the suspect meters, and 21 lead pigtails were found. At the end of August, 13 lead pipes had been found and 47 test holes had been excavated. Two of the pigtails were found while the Water Commission was repairing leaky lines, Johnson said. By the end of the year, Water Commission crews expect to conclude their search for remaining pigtails after 209 more test holes are dug. Johnson said he hopes to have all the test holes dug by the end of the year. "We're in the process of getting some temps and speeding this process up," he said. The Water Commission has found lead levels that surpass the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency action level of 15 parts per billion in several tests of tap water where lead pigtails have been found. The commission encourages residents to run the water for a few minutes before drinking it. Water crews spent part of the summer going street by street looking at 4,770 meters in older neighborhoods in east and west Medford looking for galvanized pipes on 1946-age pipes or older. "We're still just finding pigtails on 1900 to 1912 houses," Johnson said. Since the Water Commission board became aware of the presence of the lead pigtails, it has offered to conduct water tests at the customer’s tap to determine whether lead levels are higher than action levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Water Commission officials say previous tests on pigtails showed they could raise lead content above the levels set by the EPA. According to the Oregon Health Authority, long-term exposure to drinking water that has greater than 15 parts per billion of lead can delay children’s physical or mental development, decrease IQ in children, cause kidney problems, increase blood pressure and increase the risk of cancer. Even though local water agencies such as the Water Commission might be delivering water that started out lead-free, the Health Authority cautions that water out of a tap can still contain high levels of lead from household pipes or other pipes in the system. Medford's water routinely passes water quality tests required by the EPA. — Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm.