Ark Valley News - Test in progress

Test in progress
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: February 04, 2016

The City of Valley Center started re-testing its water supply for lead but it could be months before anyone finds out whether the higher-than-acceptable levels found at three homes last year were a fluke or the symptom of a much larger problem.

Brent Holper, the city's public works director, said there is room for error in the testing process, and the city wants to pinpoint the exact cause of the levels.

"We're not being told water must be shut off," Holper said. "But if we have an area that needs to be addressed, we want to get that done right away."

Results from three of the 20 homes in last year's test sample were higher than the Environmental Protection Agency allows. With less than 90 percent of the samples in compliance, the city is now being required to complete a follow-up, two-part testing procedure.

In December, Valley Center residents were notified that tests taken last summer showed lead in the system.

As soon as city officials were notified of the results in November, they copied the public information flier the Kansas Department of Health and Environment required to be sent out and mailed them with December water bills, Holper said.

"If the water wasn't safe to drink, we'd be telling people," he said.

Still, the flier created a level of concern among residents, suggesting ways to test for lead and procedures to avoid ingesting it.

This is the first time lead readings had reached this level in Valley Center since the city began testing for it in the mid-1990s.

"We want to be able to assess everything, make sure it's safe and move on," Holper said.

The city, which buys treated water from Wichita and sells and distributes it to Valley Center residents and businesses, is required by the Environmental Protection Agency to test for lead and copper every three years. Samples are sent to the KDHE for testing.

The test-collection process, however, has inherent variables that the city can't control, Holper said, largely because the EPA requires samples from a faucet inside the homes that are tested.

Residents, not city workers, perform the collection process.

Collection jugs and instructions are given to 20 residents who agree to complete the testing.

Holper said the city chooses sample locations. Some are in new neighborhoods. Others are in older areas that have older water pipes. The city is responsible for the pipes that bring water to the meters of their customers. The pipes and fixtures beyond that are the responsibility of the property owner.

"The EPA says (the city) is responsible for what comes out of the faucet," Holper said. "But from the meter to the faucet, we have no control over it. If there is a problem in a home, we can make suggestions and that's all we can do."

The EPA's lead threshold is 15 parts per billion. Of the 20 homes that were tested, eight were less than 1 part per billion; eight others were between 1 and 2 parts per billion; and one was between 2 and 3 parts per billion.

The three homes that tested high were at 19, 32 and 43 parts per billion.

Holper said it's difficult to know for sure whether each step of the collection process was followed exactly and whether that affected results.

He added that the pipes and fixtures in homes can affect the amount of lead in the water.

"There are a lot of variables," Holper said.

To illustrate the point, Holper said that two homes on the same street tested at vastly different levels. One home in the 500 block of North Birch was at 1.1 parts per billion, while a second home in the 400 block of North Birch was at 19 parts per billion. Both homes are served by the same water main.

The first round of additional testing is underway. The samples must be sent to KDHE by the end of June. The second round, no matter the outcome of the first, will take place during the second half of the year with results coming in at the end of 2016 or early 2017.

Holper said the additional costs for testing could be about $400.

If these tests show problems, then the KDHE will work with the city to determine additional steps to remediate the issue, working backward from the end users through the system to diagnose the source.