Lead detected in seven schools after Asheville water didn’t undergo mitigation process for several weeks

Lead has been detected in seven area schools after Asheville Water Resources suspended a standard treatment for lead mitigation for nearly three weeks because the city’s main reservoir’s sedimentation was so high.

Water and health officials made the announcement at the daily Helene briefing Thursday, stressing that the presence of lead_, a toxic metal, came mostly because schools, and their pipes, sat idle for weeks. They also stressed that students have not been consuming lead because water fountains at the schools have been closed since students returned.

Water Resources spokesperson Clay Chandler said the department received the last of the lab results regarding lead Nov. 8. Chandler said schools and other facilities with detectable lead were notified of the findings within 24 hours of the city receiving results.

“Schools with detectable levels of lead in the county system are Oakley Elementary School, Sand Hill Elementary School, Charles C. Bell Elementary School and Glen Arden Elementary School,” Chandler said. “In the city system, those schools are Lucy Herring Elementary School and Hall Fletcher Elementary School. The private school, and the only one who participated, was Odyssey Community School.”

Lead’s toxicity led the EPA to set its acceptable level at zero in drinking water because it can cause developmental delays, and learning and behavior problems, especially in younger children.

Chandler and Dr. Jennifer Mullendore, medical director for Buncombe County’s Department of Health & Human Services, repeatedly stressed that students were not exposed to lead in drinking water.

“It is very important to note that the students have not consumed the tap water in any of these schools or child care facilities,” Chandler said. “Schools will keep water fountains closed off and unplugged, and EPA has provided schools guidance that includes the installation of National Sanitation Foundation certified filters that are designed specifically to remove lead or reduce lead.”

Mullendore said there have been no reports of students with lead in their bloodstream.

The testing results can be found on the city’s Water Resources “Helene Response and Recovery” page, under “Post-Helene Lead and Copper Sampling Plan and Results.”

Tropical Storm Helene slammed the region Sept. 27, knocking out the city’s water supply at North Fork Reservoir, which provides 80 percent of the city’s drinking water. The city restored non-potable water to nearly all of the system by mid-October, but stubborn turbidity, or murkiness, at North Fork, has prevented restoration of potable water, which is likely to return in early to mid-December.

Corrosion control suspended

Chandler and Brenna Cook, the compliance manager at Water Resources, said the city normally treats for lead with zinc orthophosphate and sodium bicarbonate, as these minerals coat the insides of pipes, with the zinc material absorbing the lead and keeping it from reacting with the water. The bicarbonate is added “for alkalinity purposes, so that if the pH should change, it buffers it to keep it from changing and slowing down the corrosion control process,” Cook said.

The city was unable to provide corrosion control for 19 days, Chandler said, noting that during that time the city was treating the water only with chlorine, a decontaminant. Chlorine can corrode pipes with lead in them, causing the metal to leach into the water.

The city initially was superchlorinating the water from North Fork at 8 parts per million, but has dropped that level to 2.5 parts per million.

Asheville has been under a boil water notice since the outage, with residents being encouraged to use only bottled water for drinking or consumption, including cooking.

The other concern for lead getting into system users’ taps is homes or buildings built before 1988, when lead in pipes was banned. The city stressed that its distribution pipes do not contain lead, and it has no detectable lead in the reservoir.

“It’s mostly service lines that are vulnerable for that, or internal household plumbing,” Cook said, estimating that about 60 percent of the homes on the water system were built before 1988. She noted that some may have been remodeled, and pipes with lead in them removed, so that number could be lower.

The city’s testing contractor took water samples from 25 points throughout the distribution system from Oct. 17 through Oct. 24. All samples were taken from privately owned plumbing.

Buncombe County Schools Superintendent Rob Jackson and Asheville City Schools Superintendent Maggie Fehrman said children have been consuming only bottled water on site.

Students consuming only bottled water, schools say

“Prior to reopening, we worked with the water system to ensure that we had safe schools to open, and so we covered our water fountains before our students returned to the schools,” Jackson said. “And we will keep those covered until testing shows that the water is safe for consumption, however long that takes.”

Fehrman said most of the city’s elementary schools have pre-kindergarten classrooms, “so we actually have lead testing as a regular part of making sure that our water is safe for our pre-K students.

“So from time to time, we have had detectable levels identified at our schools, and we take mitigation efforts as those come up,” Fehrman said. “But we are pleased that the levels that we saw, especially after flushing, are below that level. And again, our water fountains are closed. We are not using any of that water at Hall Fletcher or Lucy Herring.”

Chandler and Cook said flushing the water lines is crucial.

“According to guidance from the EPA, this flushing protocol is a short-term solution that can be used to reduce potential lead and copper presence in drinking water,” Chandler said. “Depending on the pipe materials, lead and copper may be found in water that has sat undisturbed in household plumbing for four to six hours.”

The city’s testing found copper levels were all “well below allowable levels,” Chandler said.

Flushing is crucial, officials say

Chandler emphasized that flushing is especially important for plumbing installed before 1988. It was common practice to use lead solder to join pipes before then.

“Until more investigative lead and copper sampling is conducted that shows corrosion control treatment has taken effect, please continue to follow this simple flushing protocol daily,” Chandler said.

Users should run the water from the faucet for 30 seconds to two minutes, or when they feel the temperature of the water change (usually to a cooler temperature).

Chandler said the city will resample the water for lead at one, three and six months at the schools and at any private residences that had detectable lead levels.

“Water Resources encourages customers, especially those with homes built prior to 1988, to participate in the city’s free lead and copper drinking water testing program,” Chandler said. “And you can do that by emailing leadprevention@ashevillenc.gov, or by calling 828-259-5962.”

Mullendore said that while “no children or individuals at schools have been consuming the water, it is possible that individual homeowners might have been using water from their taps for drinking or for preparing food.”

“So we know that there are health risks from lead exposure, and we know that the most vulnerable populations are children under the age of six, pregnant people and breastfeeding people,” Mullendore said. “And the reason for that is that children under six are growing rapidly. So their bodies are growing rapidly. And we know that pregnant people are growing a fetus inside them, which is also growing rapidly. And then breastfeeding people are breastfeeding infants that are growing rapidly.”

Mullendore said if you have a child under age six who may have been exposed to lead by drinking water or eating food or beverages that were made with City of Asheville water, “we encourage you to talk with your child’s health care provider about getting blood lead testing for them.

“Same if you are a pregnant person or a breastfeeding person who, again, you have potentially been exposed to lead because you have been consuming the city’s water or using it for preparing food or beverage,” Mullendore said. “We encourage you to talk with your prenatal care provider, your primary care provider, about blood lead testing.”

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. John Boyle has been covering Asheville and surrounding communities since the 20th century. You can reach him at (828) 337-0941, or via email at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org. The Watchdog’s local reporting during this crisis is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.