Water notices warn Utahns of potential lead contamination
Nov 19, 2024, 9:42 PM | Updated: 10:42 pm
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 districts Tuesday that 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.” It’s got some people freaked out.
David Allred of West Valley City is one of them. He said the Granger Hunter Improvement District sent him the same notification on Monday.
“They give you instructions, that says important notice, this means your pipes could contain lead,” David Allred, a West Valley City resident, said.
“Does that make you nervous?” KSL TV Reporter Brian Carlson asked.
“That does make me nervous,” Allred said.
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 E.P.A. mandate.
“What we’re obligated to do is send them a notification saying it hasn’t been verified in the way 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 your house. Any homes they couldn’t verify by last Friday got a notification in the mail, but it’s not an automatic you have 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 you to do a self-check on your pipes and report back to them what you find, 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 TV spoke with said they know people are a little nervous getting these notifications, and they want to help you figure out if you have any lead pipes going into your house.
They have a website with instructions and said if you don’t know what to do, they’ll send someone to help you. The links below are not meant to be comprehensive, but those who live in the Granger Hunter Improvement District can click here to their website for more information. Those living in Salt Lake City can click here.
