Water customers of Trenton Municipal Utilities are being notified by letter of lead testing results that determined three residential locations had lead levels above the allowable level. Each location has lead service pipes connecting the house to Trenton’s water main system.
Ron Urton is City Administrator and Utility Director.
Water quality samples are sent to the Department of Natural Resources for testing and those who have questions or want more information on the issue of lead in the water, and required testing, are invited by the city to call the “hotline” phone number at 660-234-9172 which is the number of an engineering company called Environmental Solution Services.
A front and back informational letter is being mailed by the city this week to TMU water customers and the Public Water Supply District Number One describing to customers the health effects of lead, how lead enters the water and steps that customers could take.
The EPA and DNR have set an “action” level of 15 parts per billion (or 0.015 milligrams) of lead per liter of water.
Trenton Municipal Utilities and the city of Trenton are notifying water customers of the existence of lead at “higher than allowable levels” at some of the sites recently tested. Ron Urton reports 20 test samples were taken and three of them exhibited higher levels of lead than allowed by the government.
Specific segments of the population are potentially more prone to possible health issues because of lead in the drinking water supply.
Urton said TMU plans to increase the number of locations tested and the frequency. The additional sites include schools and daycare centers in Trenton. The letter to customers identifies steps that can be taken if concerned about lead levels in the water.
Urton noted the water that’s leaving Trenton’s water plant meets the federal and state water quality standards.
