A new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council says more than 5,000 public water systems—including 68 in Kansas—are in violation of EPA rules meant to protect the public from lead in the water they drink. But as Heartland Health Monitor’s Bryan Thompson reports, that may be just the tip of the iceberg.
The NRDC’s Erik Olson says those are just the systems that have been flagged. Many others—like Flint, Michigan—don’t show up in the federal data base.
“We are very concerned about severe under-reporting and gaming of the system by some drinking water suppliers to avoid finding lead problems," he says. "In other words, basically a water system can avoid detecting lead in their water if they’re savvy, and understand how the rules work.”
The highest lead level reported in Kansas last year was at the Sundowner West Mobile Home Park west of Salina. The federal limit for lead in drinking water is 15 parts per billion; one sample at Sundowner West contained 647 parts per billion.
Water systems in a total of 18 Kansas counties were cited for exceeding allowable lead levels. The NRDC says much stronger laws are needed, and lead water pipes should be replaced nationwide.
