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Medford officials ramp up water testing in wake of lead pipe discoveries Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Jun. 26, 2016 at 4:43 AM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Jun. 26, 2016 at 4:43 AM » Social News Following the discovery of lead pipes in Medford's water system last week, officials say they have launched an all-out effort to identify any suspicious pipes. That's not necessarily good enough for some city residents, who have their own suspicions about the lead discoveries. “I think there’s more to this than people are ready to 'fess up to,” said Chuck Gates, a 78-year-old who for 44 years has lived on South Oakdale Avenue, near where a lead pipe serving six homes was found last week. He said he’s puzzled by a letter from the Medford Water Commission he received last week indicating a lead pipe was removed from the street and replaced with a copper pipe. But he said it appears that he was notified after the work was already done. Larry Rains, Medford Water Commission manager, said the work on Oakdale took place some months ago, prior to new protocols at his agency that now require homeowners be notified prior to removal of a lead pipe. In addition, Rains said, his agency is offering free testing at the tap prior to removal. Previously, the Water Commission’s policy was to remove the so-called lead pigtails as they found them without notifying residents, Rains said. Pigtails like the one found on Oakdale Avenue, near Central Medford High last week, are 18- to 24-inch flexible lead pipes installed prior to 1946 that connected the main water line to the service line that leads to the water meter. The Oakdale pipe was the fourth pigtail found in the past few months, and the fifth in the past three years. As a result of the discoveries, the Water Commission has stepped up efforts to find more pigtails by focusing on water meters services that are in areas of the city where water lines were installed prior to 1946. About 5,000 service meters will be checked over the coming weeks in west and east Medford, with most of the focus area between downtown and Columbus Avenue to the west and downtown and Black Oak Drive to the east. Of the 459 meters checked so far last week, 39 will require further investigation to determine if there’s a possibility of a lead pigtail. As they find lead pigtails, the commission will conduct water tests at the customer’s tap to determine if 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. “Our goal is to investigate every possible location and if we find one, we will get rid of it,” Rains said. Gates said he was going to take the Water Commission up on its offer to offer a free test of the water at his tap. He’s also concerned there may be lead pipes in his house but said none of his family members have shown any signs of health problems related to lead. According to the Oregon Health Authority exposure to drinking water that has greater than 15 parts per billion of lead over long periods of time 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 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 contact with household pipes or other pipes in the system. Medford's water routinely passes water quality inspections with flying colors, but the discoveries of a handful of lead pipes scattered about the city has raised concerns. Those concerns are evident even in the Water Commission offices in the Lausmann Annex near City Hall. Water tests there showed high levels of copper and a test of a nearby fire hydrant showed high levels of lead. Now, every work morning, a Water Commission employee lets the water run for about 30 minutes in an office faucet before anyone drinks it. Leigh Johnson, Water Commission board chairman, said his board wants to figure out how significant the lead-pipe issue is in Medford and has instructed staff to pull out all the stops to figure it out. “This is not about money,” he said. “We’ll do whatever it takes to make it right.” Medford could have other sources of lead in its pipe system including lead solder joints used in older pipes, a situation that could be uncovered in other cities. Other lead connectors could also be in water systems. As the Water Commission steps up efforts to investigate lead pipe issues, other cities that also rely on Medford water are checking their own water systems. "We’re concerned, but we haven’t had any red flags yet,” Central Point Mayor Hank Williams said. “We have had lots of citizens call to say they worry about it.” So far, he said, Central Point hasn’t uncovered the kinds of problems that have been discovered in Medford, which includes tests that found high lead levels at two specific sites, including the hydrant near City Hall. Williams said Central Point was a small town when the lead pigtails were being installed in Medford’s water system. As a result, he doesn’t think there is a problem, though he did acknowledge there could be concern about pipes with lead joints. “There is no evidence those lead pigtail type pipes used were in Central Point,” Williams said. That doesn't mean water quality issues involving the Water Commission won't affect Central Point and most other cities in Jackson County — all of whom depend on water from Big Butte Springs and the Rogue River, which is delivered to them through the Medford agency. The local water sources used by the commission — especially from the springs — are relatively free of impurities, but the water is considered soft. That's great for washing clothes or dishes but bad for pipes. Soft water is actually a corrosive that eats away at the “biofilm” or calcium deposit that can be seen on the inside of a pipe. In Flint, Mich., a similar problem arose when officials switched water supplies to a more corrosive source that leached iron and lead out of pipes. To correct the problem, water agencies can treat the water to make it less corrosive. It's not uncommon — in Salem, officials began treating local water about 10 years ago so it wouldn’t leach metals out of pipes, according to city spokesman Mike Gotterba. Also, the city will test a resident’s water if there is a concern about quality, he said. Matt Brinkley, interim city manager in Phoenix, said a recent discussion with Public Works officials indicated there haven’t been any pigtails found by city crews in about the last 15 years. That doesn't mean homeowners are necessarily in the clear, however. “They (the pigtails) probably would have been replaced for pre-1950s houses, but you don’t know,” he said. “Anybody concerned should get an end-of-tap sample.” So far, the testing done on a sampling of the older houses has indicated lead levels below the amounts set by the EPA. However, he said, the city may decide to increase the sampling beyond the 20 houses required by the EPA. Brinkley also said that many houses in his community don’t have backflow preventers, which could allow a residence’s water to flow back into the system. In Ashland, Public Works crews report they haven’t seen the kind of issues found in Medford. “No one has seen a lead service or lead pigtails,” said Mike Faught, Public Works director in Ashland. The city does have older galvanized lines, but those lines are connected to the main water line with non-lead lines, Faught said. As with other cities in the valley, Ashland’s water has always come back with good readings, based on requirements established by the EPA, Faught said. Unlike other cities in the valley, Ashland has its own water source, though it can tap into Medford Water Commission’s water in an emergency. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/reporterdm . By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Jun. 26, 2016 at 4:43 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. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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