Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 1 · column 2 of 4 · from the scan, no model involved
Town water
may violate
new EPA regs
By LOU HATTER
Rappahannock N«n Staff Writer
The federal Environmental Protection Agency is nearly ready to issue new, lower minimum contaminate levels for the amount of lead in drinking water. The tighter regulations will mean less danger of people being poisoned by excessive concentrations of lead in their water.
The new regulations, which may take effect as early as Jan. 1, 1989, “will impact us considerably,” Water Authority chief Brad Fisher told the Washington Town Council last Wednesday.
Mr. Fisher explained that the danger from lead contamination in water comes when the water is too acidic. That acid breaks down the lining and solder in the water system’s pipes, releasing the lead which is part of the metal pipe as well as the solder used to join the pipe lengths.
The town’s water is now in compliance with present EPA standards, Mr. Fisher said. However, the proposed regulations would reduce lead content to a maximum of five micrograms per liter at the reservoir and 10 micrograms per liter at the customers’ taps.
The draft regulations would also require the acid/base balance (pH) of the water to be increased to at least eight, Mr. Fisher said. It is now between five and six, or slightly acid.
The acid or base level of a substance is measured on a scale of 0 to 14, with 0 being the strongest acid and 14 being the strongest alkali. A pH of 7 is neutral.
“At the present time the water leaving the treatment center meets the MCL (maximum contaminant level) requirement,” Mr. Fisher told the
Se» COUNCIL, p. 16
85.3%