2 water samples test positive for lead in Lyndonville
Village and Water District No. 4 in Yates will increase testing
LYNDONVILLE – The Village of Lyndonville recently took 10 water samples and two showed elevated lead levels.
The samples were taken from the sink at a laundry room and outside a house at a hose bib. Those two elevated samples have triggered a public notification response and more testing.
Terry Woodworth, the Lyndonville water and DPW superintendent, said the village and town water lines, as well as the source of water, are safe.
The two tests with elevated levels are a result of lead in the faucets, he said.
“The town and village do not use lead in the service lines,” Woodworth said. “They are either copper or plastic.”
The village took 10 samples in September. It takes samples every three years, testing for lead and copper. The federal Environmental Protection Agency EPA action level for lead is 15 parts per billion (ppb) at the 90th percentile of samples.
“The Lyndonville/Yates 90th percentile was 15.6 ppb,” Woodworth said in a news release. “Most of the samples collected were well below the action level for lead demonstrating that the two positive samples were most likely the result of improper collection points within the certified/approved sample sites. One sample was collected from an outside hose bib and the other was collected from a laundry room sink.”
Lyndonville and Yates are submitting a sampling plan to the Department of Health, which includes a reevaluation of the sample pool to capture all high-risk customers. Sampling frequency will be increased to 20 samples every six months until 12 months without a sample above the action level.
Woodworth has been sampling water since 1993, and there has never been a sample above 15 ppb at the 90th percentile.
“Lyndonville/Yates is confident that the next two rounds of testing will prove the September 2018 action level exceedance was due to the collection of samples from improper taps,” he said in the news release.
Lyndonville also is performing a corrosion control study to identify possible treatment to better protect high-risk customers, Woodworth said. The results will be shared with the Department of Health and an optimal corrosion control treatment will be recommended and implemented if deemed necessary.
Lyndonville and Yates have suggested these steps to reduce exposure to lead in water:
• Run your water to flush out lead. Run water for 15 to 30 seconds or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature before using it for drinking or cooking, if it hasn’t been used for several hours. This flushes lead-containing water from the pipes.
• Use cold water for cooking and preparing baby formula. Do not cook with or drink water from the hot water tap; lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Do not use water from the hot water tap to make baby formula.
• Do not boil water to remove lead. Boiling water will not reduce lead.
• Replace your plumbing fixtures if they are found to contain lead. Plumbing materials including brass faucets, fittings, and valves, including those advertised as “lead-free,” may contribute lead to drinking water.
The law previously allowed end-use brass fixtures, such as faucets, with up to 8 percent lead to be labeled as “lead free.” As of January 4, 2014, end-use brass fixtures, such as faucets, fittings and valves, must meet the new “lead-free” definition of having no more than 0.25 percent lead on a weighted average. Visit the National Sanitation Foundation website by clicking here.
Call the Village of Lyndonville at 585-765-9312 or 585-765-9385, or the Town of Yates at 585-765-9735 or 585-765-9716. Or visit the Lyndonville website by clicking here or the Town of Yates by clicking here.
For more information on lead in drinking water, contact the Orleans County Department of Health at 585-589-3278 or the New York State Department of Health directly by calling the toll-free number (within New York State) 1 800-458-1158, extension 27650, or out of state at (518) 402-7650, or by email at bpwsp@health.state.ny.us.
