By JOHN PURCELL Recorder News Staff Regulatory limits for lead contamination were exceeded again in the latest batch of drinking water samples collected from Amsterdam homes, but pending results from a corrosion control optimization study are hoped to help the city address the issue.
Amsterdam Water Treatment Chief Plant Operator Randy Gardinier in an interview said nine of the 60 samples collected from city homes in September were discovered to be above the regulatory limit, or maximum contaminant level (MCL), of 15 parts per billion.
Gardinier said the levels of lead in the nine samples exceeding the limit during the latest testing were 140 parts per billion (ppb), 58 ppb, 40 ppb, 30 ppb, 28 ppb, three at 21 ppb, and 16 ppb.
The city is expected to mail a postcard to all bill paying customers before the end of this year notifying of the elevated lead levels found in some samples, along with information about lead contamination, according to Gardinier.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency testing requirements for the city involve collecting water samples from 60 water distribution system customers at “Tier 1” sites, which are homes containing lead or copper pipes with lead solder installed between 1983 and 1988, or serviced by a lead service line.
In May — the first time the city was bound to the Tier 1 mandate — seven of the 60 samples collected from city homes were discovered to be above the regulatory limit, triggering an action level.
Gardinier in August said samples were also collected from where the city’s water enters its distribution system, and all six samples came back “non-detect,” meaning no lead could be detected.
He had said entry points into the distribution system were tested, along with water samples consisting of a blend from the reservoirs The city’s water supply travels through an approximate 15-mile transmission line from Glen Wild in the Town of Providence.
In May 2017, the EPA audited Amsterdam’s lead testing records from 2012 through 2017 and determined the city failed to comply with the Lead and Copper Rule, spurring an administrative order to be issued.
A critical issue was the city’s failure to collect water samples from distribution system customers at “Tier 1” sites.