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Lead in the water: What you need to know

Corroded water pipes.
VCU Capital News Service
Corroded water pipes.

The drinking water challenge in Asheville expanded today. Without the city's normal mitigation measures, detectable levels of lead accumulated in internal plumbing at seven area schools. The finding raises issues for residents who may have lead exposure risk in their homes.

"It is very important to note that the students have not consumed the tap water at any of these schools or childcare facilities," Water Resources spokesperson Clay Chandler said in Thursday's briefing.

READ MORE: Asheville taps are clear to drink; boil water notice lifted

Glen Arden Elementary registered the highest lead levels of the tested sites with a reading of 40 parts per billion in mid-October. After implementing the EPA-recommended protocols, the levels at Glen Arden declined to less than 3 parts per billion on October 25.

Lead was detected at six other schools and centers: Oakley, Sand Hill and Charles C. Bell in the Buncombe County system; Lucy S. Herring and Hall-Fletcher Elementary in the Asheville City system; and Odyssey Community School, a private school.

Water fountains at the schools will remain off, and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offered the schools guidance on the installation of filters to reduce lead and the replacement of plumbing to reduce risk.

"Obviously lead is a serious health hazard for pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding and children under 6 years old," Chandler said.

The city typically takes preventative measures to deter corrosion that can cause lead to leach into the water, but the damage from Hurricane Helene interfered with the process.

For about 19 days after the storm, the city was unable to put zinc orthophosphate, a substance put into municipal water regularly to inhibit corrosion in pipes, into the system at North Fork. The piping configuration did not allow for the treatment, Chandler said.

Corrosion deterrence measures continued at the Mills River facility after the storm.

Dr. Jennifer Mullandore, medical director of the Buncombe County Health Department, confirmed that there have been no reported incidents of lead-related health issues.

The lead issues at the schools were related to pipes. Lead may be found in water that sits stagnant in plumbing for 4-6 hours. The sites with detectable lead will be retested at one month, three months and six months, Chandler said.

"Water resources records going back decades do not indicate detectable levels of lead in the source water at any time," Chandler said.

Late Thursday, the department confirmed that third-party testing of water at North Fork did not show any detectable levels of lead at the source.

Homes built before the mid-1980's may be at higher risk for lead leaching from older plumbing systems.

The use of lead in household plumbing was banned by the federal government in 1986, and North Carolina banned lead-based solder in 1985.

About 60% of homes on the Asheville system were built before the mid-1980's, Water Department Compliance Manager Brenna Cook said at the briefing.

Individuals with older plumbing should take additional precautions. The department continues to recommend the use of bottled water for consumption as the first option.

Residents who cannot access potable water should run water from the faucet for 30 seconds to two minutes or until the temperature changes before boiling for use.

EPA guidance identifies this flushing process is a short-term solution for removing lead or copper from water.

Additional flushing will not create additional costs for residents as water resources is not currently billing for water use.

Residents can request a free lead testing test by calling 828-259-5962 or emailing leadprevention@ashevillenc.gov.

Showering in water with detectable lead is not hazardous, according to the EPA.

Laura Lee began her journalism career as a producer and booker at NPR. She returned to her native North Carolina to manage The State of Things, a live daily statewide show on WUNC. After working as a managing editor of an education journalism start-up, she became a writer and editor at a national education publication, Edutopia. She then served as the news editor at Carolina Public Press, a statewide investigative newsroom. In 2022, she worked to build collaborative coverage of elections administration and democracy in North Carolina.

Laura received her master’s in journalism from the University of Maryland and her bachelor’s degree in political science and J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.