28 of 29 water samples in Sebring show acceptable lead levels

Staff report

SEBRING

The latest round of tap-water tests in the village shows 28 of the 29 most-recent samples were below the federal allowable limit for lead.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency announced the latest testing results in a news release Friday.

Combined with earlier voluntary test results received, 999 of 1,044 samples have been below the federal allowable level of 15 parts per billion.

Ohio EPA has followed up on some of the high readings and has found the water coming into the home is safe. Running the tap for 30 seconds to two minutes successfully eliminates any detectable lead in the water, the agency said.

The agency ordered the village Jan. 21 to offer free water testing for any homeowner who asked and will make those results public as they are received.

The state and federal EPA continues to work closely with the village to fine-tune the water chemistry to minimize lead from leaching into the water from piping of certain homeowners.

Recent test results confirm that the village’s water plant is lead free, according to the news release.

Despite the fact that most results are below the federal allowable level, the village is still required to provide bottled water or filtration systems to homes where results are over the federal allowable level and work with the county to provide health screening for residents.

In addition, the village must complete all immediate, short-term, and long-term actions required by the state’s EPA director.

To minimize their lead exposure, all residents should follow guidance in public education documents provided by the village.