Wednesday, March 23, 2016
WARREN
Valerie Meyers, operations supervisor and chemist at the Warren Water Treatment Plant, gave about 100 Warren G. Harding High School students an analogy to help them remember to reduce the amount of lead they consume in their water.
They should get in the habit of running the tap water at home 30 seconds to 21⁄2 minutes before using it for drinking or cooking no matter what kind of plumbing and pipes they have, she said.
Run it shorter if the pipe to your house is short; run it longer if your house is a long way from the road, she said.
Here’s the analogy: Most people don’t just jump in the shower and turn on the water.
“So why would we turn on your sink and expect that water necessarily to be perfect when we walk in?” she said. “So what we’re asking you to do is pretend it’s like the shower. Turn it on, let it run for a few seconds and get rid of that stuff that’s been sitting there” in the pipes.
Experts say, depending on the age of a faucet, between six to 12 gallons of water could be used in 21⁄2 minutes.
Meyers was among the water-department officials who spoke to junior and senior students interested in science education. It is the second such presentation the department has made in recent weeks, having gone to Howland High School a few weeks ago.
Read more about the matter in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.