The McCall Water System sent letters to its 2,720 customers warning them of elevated levels of lead found in drinking water, noting the problem appears to be with metal water pipes inside some of the older homes.
State Rep. Alan Baker met with McCall Water System officials and employees and noted the system wanted to not only be transparent, but to educate its customers about the dangers of lead and steps to reduce lead in their water.
It was noted at the meeting that all of McCall's main service lines are made from PVC pipe and show no signs of lead or copper. It was also noted that lead and copper are natural occurring substances that exist in the environment.
The required samples to be tested are beyond the McCall Water System lines and are collected by the customers from inside their homes. The high levels in the reports could be coming from pipe corrosion issues within the homes' plumbing systems.
The McCall Water System feeds phosphate into its water system to assist with corrosion control inside the customers' homes.
Rep. Baker noted over the years of sampling, the McCall Water System has a consistent track record of providing good, quality water to its customers without any issues.
Officials noted that after receiving the results of elevated lead and copper levels, the system immediately resampled water from the homes and all samples came back clean.
It was also noted that customers with older metal pipes can take steps to reduce the risk of copper and lead in their drinking water.
One step is to allow water to run from the faucet a while if the water has been stagnant in the lines for more than six hours.
In its letter to customers officials say people need to let the water run from the tap before using the water for cooking and drinking.
“The longer water resides in your home's plumbing the more lead it may contain,” the letter reads. “Flushing the tap means running the water faucet until the water gets noticeably colder, usually in about 15 to 30 seconds.
“If your house has a lead service line to the water main, you may have to flush the water for a longer time, perhaps one minute before drinking,” the letter continued.
The letter also said that while toilet flushing or showering flushes water through a portion of the home's plumbing system, residents still need to flush the water in each faucet before using it for drinking or cooking.
If anyone has any questions or concerns about their water, they can contact the McCall Water System at 251-867-6100.
