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OAKDALE AVENUE High levels of lead in water shock Medford residents One measurement was nearly 30 times the EPA action level Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Jul. 7, 2016 at 5:01 PM Updated Jul 7, 2016 at 6:29 PM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Jul. 7, 2016 at 5:01 PM Updated Jul 7, 2016 at 6:29 PM » Social News Residents in six houses on Oakdale Avenue expressed shock Thursday after learning that their water tested high for lead after the Medford Water Commission discovered a lead pipe last month. “I’m still in the denial phase,” said Grace Wilson, 61, who added she tries to lead a healthy lifestyle. Wilson wondered whether the Medford Water Commission would pay for tests to determine whether she, her neighbors or her neighbors' children have high levels of lead, which can accumulate in the body's organs. She worried she wouldn't be able to handle any detoxification measures. The commission released results of a water test conducted June 23, prior to removal of a lead pigtail connection that provided water from the main line to the six separate residences located in two houses and an apartment building. The first sample, which was tested after water sat in the pipes for six hours, showed lead levels of 28.4 parts per billion, almost twice as high as the federal Environmental Protection Agency action level of 15 parts per billion. After the water was run for several liters to determine what kind of effect was produced by the pigtail, lead levels spiked to 439 parts per billion, almost 30 times higher than EPA action levels. Once a few more liters of water ran through the tap, lead levels measured 18 parts per billion. Commission Manager Larry Rains said he would describe the third spike as “abnormal.” “Maybe something could have chipped off and got caught in that one sample,” he said. Rains said he didn’t think the third spike meant that there might also be a lead problem in the main line running down the street. “We don’t think there’s anything in the main,” he said, but he added that he couldn’t be 100 percent sure. Rains said the first high reading is probably an indication that there are lead lines inside the house, which would be the owner’s responsibility to replace. The Water Commission plans to run more water tests now that the pigtail has been removed to see whether similar spikes appear. Rains said the issue of lead tests for residents themselves hasn’t come up at the Water Commission previously. “We haven’t gone down that road yet,” he said. The commission will replace pigtails as fast as possible, Rains said. He initially said multiple tests would be conducted prior to removal, but he said that practice may end once the Water Commission gets enough readings to predict what they will find. “There is no denying that if we leave water in lead pigtails, it is going to slough off,” he said. The commission may eventually have to add soda ash or some other compound to the water so it isn’t as soft, because soft water causes corrosion, Rains said. The commission is preparing to conduct a corrosion study. The commission has found five lead pigtails and has been looking at 5,000 water meters in the city to see whether they are connected to a galvanized pipe, which can indicate the presence of a lead pigtail. Sharon Siegfried, a 60-year-old grandmother, said she is particularly concerned about the five children age 4 to 15 who live in the house. “I think it sucks,” she said. She said the children have been drinking the water, though they do run it through a purifier. Siegfried said she wants to hear what the second round of results determine before the kids drink the water. “It’s supposed to have been fixed,” she said. In the meantime, the family will have to drink bottled water, Siegfried said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm . By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Jul. 7, 2016 at 5:01 PM Updated Jul 7, 2016 at 6:29 PM » 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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