AU residents may have noticed a new look to their residence hall kitchens this past week. Faucet-mounted filters are being installed as a result of tests conducted by an environmental company to detect elevated action levels of lead in the water supply.
AU Physical Plant Operations, in connection with D.C. Water and Sewage Authority has directed tests across campus and has found inconsistent readings of lead levels. WASA advised running the tap for a minute when taking the reading to resolve the inconsistencies, according to AU Physical Plant Director Willy Suter.
Using this process has resulted in readings below the designated action level, Suter said. Unlike some residential areas that are serviced by lead pipes, AU uses non-lead pipes designed for commercial use.
"We didn't have a problem until WASA changed their water chemistry," Suter said. In 2001, WASA implemented a chloramine-based program in treating the D.C. water supply during colder seasons.
In an earlier statement to The Eagle, Suter attributed chloramines to the high levels of lead found in the D.C. pipelines.
"As we learn more, we are able to figure out strategies on what to do," Suter said. "We find those strategies through testing and communication."
D.C. residents feel WASA's attempt to publicize water safety concerns were dry efforts, according to Suter.
"The population didn't feel they did a proper job of communicating," he said.
Surrounding areas, including Montgomery and Prince George's counties, have also detected alarming levels of lead. Five public schools in these areas recently found elevated lead levels after testing water samples.
Over 500 lead service pipes have been replaced, according to the WASA Web site. To further gain control of water safety concerns, WASA is working with the Environmental Protection Agency and the D.C. Department of Health and the Washington Aqueduct.
Blood tests are also being administered to residents where significant levels of lead have been detected in their homes. One child in the D.C. area tested positive for lead poisoning, but it has not been confirmed whether the lead pipes in the home are responsible, according to a NBC4 news report Tuesday.
Lead poisoning causes numerous adverse health affects that destabilize parts of the body, damaging its functions, according to the NBC4 Web site.
School of International Service freshman and New York native Chasity Davis is concerned with the reports of lead in the D.C. water supply. "We have that problem in New York," Davis said. "My roommate and I have a water filter but I only drink bottled water."
Davis believes structural development is the solution. "All they really have to do is find an architect to design a system where the water goes directly to the water filter and watch what is going into our reservoir," Davis said.
Physical Plant is planning to expand the distribution of the faucet-mounted filters, targeting residence hall kitchen sinks, where most water is used.
