Out of the 93,000 homes that the Onondaga County Water Authority serves, 10 percent — or 9,300 — have lead pipes, which poses a risk to drinking water.

The Onondaga County Water Authority (OCWA) maintains and supplies water to residents in Onondaga County. Michael Hooker, executive director of OCWA, said that while the safe threshold for lead levels in water would be zero, regulations require 90 percent of homes must have lead levels below 15 parts per billion.

In 2014, OCWA took a sample of 123 homes and found that 90 percent of its homes had lead levels below 3.6 parts per billion, Hooker said, and one sample had levels at 20 parts per billion.

“I think that after what happened in Flint, everyone is aware of (this issue),” Hooker said. “When we look at the sample results, we are well in the parameters in what we are doing.”

According to OCWA’s 2014 Consumer Confidence Report, OCWA is responsible for drinking water but not the materials used to construct the pipes, which is generally where the problems with lead occur.

Hooker said OCWA’s responsibility is to coat the pipes with orthophosphate, which creates a buffer between the pipes and the water. OCWA will fix and replace pipes for any problems that occur on their side of control. If it is on the customer’s side, OCWA will notify them.

“We work hand in hand,” Hooker said.

After each sample, Hooker said OCWA sends its customers a report for their home and the OCWA system in general. If customers find they have lead pipes or a possible problem with contamination, the primary action they can take is replace their water service. The cost to replace lead pipes varies on the customer’s service, but would probably be around $2,500, he said.

Most of the lead pipes in homes are constructed before 1940, Hooker said. While lead has been banned since 1986, he said older homes still contain these pipes.

Jonnell Robinson, an assistant professor of geography at Syracuse University, said besides water, lead can be found in soil, paint from older homes and residue from lead in gasoline.

“Typically in the realm of public health, the word on the street is no level is safe,” Robinson said. “We don’t want to ingest lead ever.”

The other problem with lead, Robinson said, is that it doesn’t break down — once it is in the environment, it’s there to stay.

While scientists are still learning about the consequences of lead poisoning, Robinson said developing children seem to be in the most danger. There is concern that lead can affect neurological development, possibly leading to the development of attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), she said. Aggressive behavior has also been linked to lead exposure, she added.

Even in the womb, babies can be affected if mothers ingest lead because it can pass through the placenta to the baby, she said.

Robinson said the risk is lower for adults, since their neurological systems are already developed.

To prevent lead ingestion from water, customers can run their water for 30 seconds to a few minutes each morning so they are not using water that has been sitting in the pipes all night, Hooker said. Additionally, customers should never use hot water out of the tap for cooking.

Published on April 5, 2016 at 11:23 pm

Contact Haley: hykim100@syr.edu