Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa customers to get letter in mail about elevated lead levels in water
BEAVER, Pa. (KDKA) — Customers of the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa will soon receive letters in the mail alerting them to elevated lead levels in the drinking water.
Recent test results show lead numbers in five of the 34 samples recently taken in and around Aliquippa.
The letter reads: "Between June 2023 and September 2023, MWAA collected thirty-four (34) lead and copper samples and submitted them to an independent PaDEP accredited laboratory for analysis. Sampling results showed an exceedance of the 90th percentile action level for lead whereby five (5) of the 34 samples had concentrations that exceeded the EPA lead action level of 0.015 milligrams per liter."
Matt Mottes told KDKA's Meghan Schiller that his crews are actively replacing lead service lines and encouraging customers to call the office and sign up for free testing. If a home's water tests exceed the action level, the water authority will replace the customer's lead service line from the curb to the home.
"The lead in the water has nothing to do with our plant or the water supply," said Mottes. "It has to do with old service lines. It could be service lines into the home on their side, which we're replacing. It could be from solder or even fixtures inside their home."
From the 119 homes recently identified as having lead service lines, only 34 agreed to testing. Mottes hopes to change that low number and get more homeowners to call the office.
Tips to avoid lead exposure in drinking water
Some tips to avoid lead exposure in your drinking water include:
- Run the water for sixty seconds to flush out the lead before using it
- Use cold water for cooking and preparing baby formula
- Consider using bottled water as much as possible and installing an approved water filtration system