Lead in water and in old water pipes has been in the headlines of national media for several weeks, ever since the announcement of its presence in and damage to the Flint, Michigan, water system.
While the three local water districts have and still use pipelines many decades old, all three general managers have confirmed that regular testing of the water has not detected the presence of lead.
“No lead pipes, joints or soldered service connections that I am aware of in our distribution system,” replied Fern Valley Water District General Manager Steve Erler.
Pine Cove General Manager Jerry Holldber said, “In my over four decades working for two districts [PCWD and IWD], I’ve never seen any evidence of lead.”
Both Erler and Holldber referred to lead and copper testing in the early 1990s that identified very limited amounts “… from internal corrosion in household plumbing fixtures.”
All of the districts began treating their water to reduce its corrosive capability.
“We were required to monitor 20 household sample sites,” Erler stated. “… With satisfactory test results, we have reduced monitoring sites and the frequency of testing.”
Idyllwild Water District General Manager Tom Lynch forwarded IWD’s latest Consumer Confidence Report for 2014 that showed none of its 10 samples exceeding the California Actionable Level, which is 15 micrograms of lead per liter. The goal is 2 micrograms and the results of testing IWD’s household samples didn’t exceed 0.0074 micrograms.