NOVEMBER 22, 2024|
Photo – Image of water lines to property – Courtesy Environmental Protection Agency
Saratoga officials assure residents that their drinking water does not contain lead.
In 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency created the Lead and Copper Rule Revision, requiring all municipalities in the country to perform an inventory of water connection materials. The regulation was designed to identify lead and copper fittings, which leach into drinking water from the plumbing materials. Long-term exposure to these metals can cause health issues ranging from stomach distress to brain damage.
The EPA required local governments to catalog all water hookups in their towns and submit the information to the federal government by October 16th of this year.
Speaking at the November 19th Saratoga town council meeting, Public Works Director Emery Penner explained that residents may have received an EPA mandated letter mentioning that their water may contain lead. Penner said the town does not have lead in its water.
Penner said the nationwide inventory of lead and copper service lines required the town to check water lines not just on public property, but also on private property. This was something the town had never done before. The public works director stressed that the town does not have lead in its water. The letters were simply sent to properties where the town could not determine the water connection material.
Penner explained that he is working with representatives from the state to secure funding to replace water lines in Saratoga. However, the public works director said he isn’t sure what stipulations the EPA will put on the money, especially given how frequently the federal agency has changed its mind in the past
If you have any questions about the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule or the quality of your water, call the Saratoga town hall at 326-8335.
