Extra testing planned after high levels of lead found in water at some Highland homes
Highland will be conducting extra testing in the coming months after high levels of lead were found in the drinking water for some homes.
Mayor Joe Michaelis informed the city council a few weeks ago that recent testing showed some of Highland’s water is exceeding some action levels, requiring the city to notify residents. He called it “an opportunity for us to correct those deficiencies.”
Public Works director Joe Gillespie clarified the city was not found in violation, but that some of the water tests have exceeded the recommended levels. Most homes were below 1 part lead per billion parts water, but some were as high as 15 ppb.
“It was just a couple of houses out of 30 tested that had high numbers, which skewed the rest of the results,” said interim city manager Chris Conrad.
The test is actually performed by residents, Gillespie said: The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency requires that residents collect the samples, rather than city workers, to make sure that the test results are as accurate as possible. Not even the city workers know which houses tested with high lead levels, Conrad said.
“Those individuals are contacted directly by the state,” Conrad said.
Conrad said sometimes the tests can get skewed if the sample is taken from an older faucet that isn’t used very often.
“That water could have been sitting there for a while and that can cause increased lead and copper leaching,” he said.
Lead sampling is ordinarily conducted every three years. IEPA records showed an average lead measure of 0.017 milligrams per liter in the 2020 sampling from Highland. In 2017, the measure was 0.0082, and in 2014 it was 0.0065.
In all prior samplings going back to 2002, the measure usually ranged from 0.0018 to 0.0022.
As the city has exceeded the state action level, Gillespie said they are required to provide public education to the consumers. A notification will be in the January utility bill with an insert that explains the effects of lead in drinking water.
“Obviously we’re continuing to work with IEPA to make sure we get the additional testing done to ensure there is not a systemwide problem,” Conrad said.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, lead gets into drinking water from sitting in older pipes and water fixtures for several hours. Most studies show that lead-contaminated water is unlikely to raise blood lead levels in adults, but infants who drink formula made with lead-contaminated water may be at higher risk, according to IDPH. Bathing and showering is safe, as human skin can’t absorb lead through water.
Gillespie said the city water plant already adds phosphates to the water to prevent corrosion and create a coating on the inside of the pipes to prevent lead from leaching into the water.
IDPH offers recommendations
Among the suggestions from IDPH: Residents should flush taps for 1-2 minutes with cold water before drinking or cooking. That water can be used for cleaning or watering plants if you are concerned about wasting water. Only cold water should be used for drinking and food preparation, as hot water can contain higher levels of lead. In addition, the aerator screens on faucets should be cleaned and replaced regularly, as well as water filters.
Gillespie said there will be two more samplings in the next year with twice the number of testing sites. If lead levels come down, Highland will be able to go back to testing once every three years.
A notice has been posted on the Highland city website.