Not just a public water problem

For some, the water coming out of the kitchen tap is poisoned.

Contamination problems in public water supplies in Flint, Mich. and Hoosick Falls, N.Y. may not be alone.

According to a recent study from a Binghamton University alumnae, millions of Americans that use private wells for drinking water could also be at risk.
“Through a collaborative effort with the Virginia Cooperative Extension, I analyzed thousands of drinking water samples from private systems in Virginia and observed that 58 percent of these systems exceeded at least one Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standard required for municipal systems,” said Kelsey J. Pieper ‘09.

Pieper, who is a United States Department of Agriculture postdoctoral fellow at Virginia Tech, majored in mechanical engineering at Binghamton before heading to Virginia Tech to do postgraduate work. She was the lead author of “Profiling Private Water Systems to Identify Patterns of Waterborne Lead Exposure,” which appeared in the September edition of Environmental Science and Technology.

According to the Center for Disease Control, private wells are the main source of drinking water for over 15 million U.S. households, which translates to about 47.8 million people.

In the study, Pieper addresses lead contamination - the main issue with Flint’s water - directly: “Assuming 15 percent of U.S. households rely on private systems and 12 to 19 percent of systems had lead concentrations above 15 μg/L during state surveys, an estimated 5.7 to 9.1 million private system residents may be at risk of exposure to lead in water above the action level.”

Children under the age of six are most at risk of lead poisoning according to the Mayo Clinic. Even small amounts can lead to permanent brain damage and other developmental delays in children. Sustained exposure can lead to heart disease, and kidney and nerve damage for adults.

In the study - which gathered samples from homes in Albemarle County, Virginia - Pieper points out that patterns of corrosion in private systems were consistent with patterns observed in municipal systems. Lead contamination was associated with plumbing corrosion and the mobilization of particulate lead.

However, a unique pattern associated with corrosion within private wells was also identified. The corrosion of lead-bearing well components resulted in contamination even before entry into household plumbing. There were detectable lead concentrations measured even after 45 minutes of flushing the kitchen tap. Fixes such as short-term flushing to avoid waterborne lead, may not be effective in preventing exposure.

Even though many private wells have clean water, Pieper suggests that the best way to make sure is to get samples tested.

“In order to know if a private system is at risk of contamination, I recommend that homeowners participate in water quality testing. Homeowners should contact their local or state health department or the state Cooperative Extension program for more information about testing opportunities,” she said. “These organizations also provide resources and assistance for homeowners interested in correcting water quality issues.”

As far back as 2009, the New York Times reported that more than 20 percent of the nation’s public water treatment systems violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act. With the revelations in Flint, there is a push to fix public infrastructure problems including extensive guidelines on continued testing in municipal water systems. However, with private systems the testing and upkeep falls on the homeowner.

“Private systems are not regulated at the federal level by the EPA, and state well regulations typically do not address long-term water quality,” Pieper said. “It is solely the responsibility of homeowners to ensure safe, clean drinking water through routine and regular monitoring and maintenance of their systems. However, this can be problematic if there are knowledge, financial, or perception barriers.”