Unsafe levels of lead were found in the water in several University townhouses, University spokesperson Julie Bataille said Tuesday. However, University officials have already acted to correct the problem.
Tests performed over spring break reveal that seven of the 71 university owned townhouses have lead levels exceeding 15 parts per billion in tap water. The Environmental Protection Agency judges water with lead levels higher than 15 parts per billion to be unsafe.
University officials say that the lead level found in these townhouses does not reflect the normal level in these locations. Tests were performed over spring break when the water had not been run in several days. Officials believe that higher lead levels resulted from water standing in leading pipes over the week.
“We took samples over spring break, which gave us a worst case scenario. Wherever we saw lead levels over 10 parts per billion we re-sampled and found seven locations above 15 parts per billion,” said Phil Hagan, Director of Environmental Safety. According to Hagan, the lead levels in these residences varied, but none were as high.
The University has already taken several steps to remedy the problem, including re-testing the water in townhouses with high lead levels, conducting maintenance tests, and installing water filters on the kitchen faucets in these properties. According to Hagan, many of these measures were put into effect within 24 hours of receiving the test results.
Hagan said that he does not believe the lead levels in these townhouses pose a serious problem. “We used a method where we were able to determine the source of the lead. Five minutes of flushing the pipes brought the levels down,” said Hagan.
According to Hagan, residents of these townhouses are aware of the situation.
“Students were notified immediately, and filters were installed on the faucets in the houses on the very same day that we received the test results,” said Hagan.
High lead levels were also found in one water fountain in the Basic Science building, and the fountain was taken out of service. According to Hagan, the university believes that they have remedied this problem and are currently awaiting test results to confirm this belief.
Georgetown University has been testing the water for high lead levels at all facilities on campus since January, when city officials released reports stating that the lead levels in drinking water were too high in some neighborhoods of D.C.
Tests were first conducted at university day-care centers, since young children are most at risk of developing health problems due to lead exposure. Tests showed that the water in these day-care centers was safe.
Nearly all campus owned facilities have been tested for lead content. Some off-campus facilities still need to be tested.
Hagan said that the extent to which the University will continue to test the water will largely depend on the new measures being taken by the District to lower lead levels in the city. “Until we feel completely comfortable we will continue to retest,” said Hagan.
According to the National Center for Environmental Health, a large lead content in the water supply could cause health problems if the lead entered the bloodstream. However, higher levels of lead in drinking water are unlikely to cause a significant rise in the lead levels in blood of most adults.
