KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — The Public Utility Department of Kalamazoo, which supplies tap water to a good portion of Kalamazoo County, is reassuring its customers that they have a good record when it comes to low lead levels, and have employed the corrosion controls necessary for decades to keep lead from becoming a local problem.
Public Services Director Sue Foune said approximately 17 percent of their pipes are made of lead, but the corrosion control additive hexametaphosphate coats the pipes and keeps the poisonous metal from leaching into the water. She says, in Flint, without those controls in place when they started using Flint River water, the protective inner coating was washed away.
She said it will take about six months to recreate and replace that protective layer in Flint.
Foune also said the water operation in Kalamazoo County has such a good record that its only required to test for lead, using samples taken from specifically designated sources, every three years. During their last round of testing, she said only three of 59 samples showed lead at or slightly above recommended levels. In all three cases, the problems were addressed.
She also said Kalamazoo has had a policy for the last two decades of replacing lead pipes whenever streets are rebuilt.
For anyone who is concerned about lead, Foune has this advice for homeowners: Running the tap for 30 seconds before filling your glass for a drink will flush out any traces that may be in the water.
She said customers are welcome to request a water test by calling the city’s laboratory supervisor at (269) 337-8550.
– John McNeill
