Running water 5 minutes reduced lead levels in Sebring

SEBRING

Some alarmingly high lead levels in tap water here were reduced to levels well below the federal limit by just running the water for five minutes.

The numbers were presented in a report to Village Council this week by Village Manager Richard D. Giroux.

For example, his report said a reading of 101.9 parts per billion of lead was obtained from a water sample drawn from a tap at 695 W. Ohio Ave. that had been unused for six hours Feb. 3.

When the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency resampled that location Friday after running the water for five minutes, the lead reading was only 3.5 ppb.

The federal allowable limit is 15 ppb.

Initial draws from faucets that had been unused for six hours registered 303 ppb of lead at 107 E. Ohio Ave., 178 ppb at 435 Hillsdale Ave. and 40.6 at 456 W. Ohio Ave.

All of those locations registered below 2 ppb of lead in samples drawn Friday and Sunday after letting the water run for 5 minutes.

“Lead levels can be drastically reduced by letting the water run,” Giroux said.

Read more about the situation in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.