Public Notification for Lead

^{January 7, 2019 News}

Consumer Notification of Lead Tap Monitoring Results 

Dear Sky Ranch Estates, 

As you may know, Sky Ranch Estates is also a public water system because we are responsible for providing you with water at this location and ensuring that the drinking water we provide to you meets state and federal standards. We recently collected a drinking water samples for lead and copper. The results of this testing are as follows: 

The 90^th percentile lead concentration for our waterworks is ___15__ ppb. The 90^th percentile of copper concentration for our waterworks is ________0.15__ mg/L

What Does This Mean? 

Under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set the Action Level for lead in drinking water at 15 ppb. This means utilities must ensure that water from the customer’s tap does not exceed this level in at least 90 percent of the homes sampled (90th percentile value). The Action Level is the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow. 

Because lead may pose serious health risks, the EPA also set a Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) for lead of zero. The MCLG is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety. 

What Are The Health Effects of Lead? 

When people come in contact with lead, it may enter their bodies and accumulate over time, resulting in damage to the brain and kidneys, and can interfere with the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen to all parts of your body. The greatest risk of lead exposure is to infants, young children, and pregnant women. Lead in water can be a special problem for infants, whose diets may be mostly liquids, such as baby formulas or concentrated juices mixed with water. Smaller bodies can absorb lead more rapidly than bigger ones, so amounts of lead that won’t hurt an adult can be very harmful to a child and scientists have linked the effects of lead on the brain with lowered IQ in children. During pregnancy, the child receives lead from the mother’s bones, which may affect brain development. Adults who drink this water over many years could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure. 

What Can I Do To Reduce Exposure to Lead in Drinking Water? 

Lead may work its way into drinking water after the water entered the distribution system and is on its way to consumers taps. This usually happens through the corrosion of materials containing lead in household plumbing. These materials include brass faucets, lead solder on copper pipes, lead pipes, or lead service lines connecting the water main to the inside plumbing. Lead pipes are no longer installed for service lines or in household plumbing and lead solder has been outlawed in Virginia since 1985. 

There are several steps you can take to reduce your exposure to lead in drinking water. These include: 

1. Run your water to flush out lead. If water hasn’t been used for several hours, allow the water to run at the tap for 15-30 seconds or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature before using it for drinking or cooking. This flushes lead- containing water from the pipes.
2. Use cold water for cooking and preparing baby formula. Do not cook with or drink water from the hot water tap as lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Do not use water from the hot water tap to make baby formula.
3. Do not boil water to remove lead. Boiling water will not reduce lead.
4. Look for alternative sources or treatment of water. You may want to consider purchasing bottled water or a water filter. Read the package to be sure the filter is approved to reduce lead or contact the National Sanitation Foundation at 800-NSF- 8010 or www.nsf.org for information on performance standards for water filters. If you choose to install a lead removal filter, be sure to maintain and replace a filter device in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions to protect water quality.

6. Get your child tested. Contact your local health department or healthcare provider to find out how you can get your child tested for lead if you are concerned about exposure.
7. Identify if your plumbing fixtures contain lead. Brass faucets, fittings, and valves, including those once advertised as “lead-free,” may contribute lead to drinking water. The law currently allows end-use brass fixtures, such as faucets, with up to 8% lead to be labeled as “lead free.” Visit the National Sanitation Foundation Web site at www.nsf.org to learn more about lead-containing plumbing fixtures.
   

For More Information 

Call Utility Services, Inc., Water Operator for Sky Ranch Estates at 702-556-8069. For more information on reducing lead exposure around your home and the health effects of lead, visit EPA’s web site at www.epa.gov/lead, call the National Lead Information Center at 800-424-LEAD, contact your health care provider, or the Bureau of Safe Drinking Water at (775) 687-9521.