Water notices warn Utahns of potential lead contamination

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Water notices in Utah warn residents of potential lead contamination in water lines.
Officials stress there's no immediate danger, but residents who received notices should check their pipes.
The notices are federally mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

WEST VALLEY CITY – There's concern right now about potential lead poisoning in people's water lines across the state.

KSL-TV talked to water district officials Tuesday who said there's no need for alarm, but they are sending out notices to let people know they may be at risk.

You may have been one of the thousands of Utahns who recently received a notice in the mail saying, "Important Notice!" your water service line that feeds water to your house "could contain lead."

Some people are freaked out. David Allred of West Valley City is one of them. He said the Granger Hunter Improvement District sent him the notification on Monday.

"They give you instructions that (say) 'important notice,' this means that your pipes could contain lead," Allred said.

"Does that make you nervous?" KSL asked.

"That does make me nervous," Allred answered.

He's one of 16,000 who got such a notice from Granger Hunter Improvement District. In Salt Lake City, 30,000 water users have been getting similar notices since the summer, with similar scenarios likely playing out throughout hundreds of Utah water districts statewide, all warning about the potential for lead as part of a federal mandate.

"What we're obligated to do is send them a notification saying it hasn't been verified in the way that they want us to verify that, and that there is a possibility of lead," Jason Helm, Granger Hunter Improvement District general manager, said.

Helm said for the last three years, districts nationwide have been tasked with verifying the safety of the water lines that run from the street to houses. Any homes they couldn't verify by last Friday got a notification in the mail, but that doesn't automatically mean there is lead contamination.

"Zero lead has been found. We don't anticipate finding any," Helm said.

In Salt Lake City, of the roughly 60,000 water users they have verified, only 128 water lines have been verified as containing lead.

So, if you got a notice, what should you do? Water districts want residents to do a self-check on their pipes and report the findings to them, but some may find that intimidating.

"I don't feel confident in that. I feel like, how do I — how do I tell?" Allred said.

The water districts that KSL spoke with said they know the notifications make people a little nervous, and they want to help residents figure out if they have any lead pipes going into their houses.

A website with instructions is available, and if residents don't know what to do, someone can help.

These links are not comprehensive, but those who live in the Granger Hunter Improvement District can go to www.ghid.gov/water-line-inventory for more information. Those living in Salt Lake City can go to www.slcleadandcopper.com.

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