Pocatello Water Department Assures Residents of Water Quality
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The following is a news release from the city of Pocatello.
POCATELLO — As the situation continues to unfold over water quality in Flint, Michigan, officials with the City of Pocatello would like to remind residents that the drinking water delivered to homes and businesses in Pocatello is safe.
“We understand the concern about the safety of water given what is happening in Flint and our thoughts are with the people who’ve been affected during this time,” said Water Department Superintendent Justin Armstrong. “We want the residents of Pocatello to know that your health and safety are our foremost concerns when we are working on Pocatello’s water system.”
Lead does not come from water sources or the water mains but can make its way into water via lead service lines connecting homes to the City’s water mains. Lead service lines are typically found in older homes since lead was a common and accepted plumbing construction material in the first half of the 20th century. However, the City of Pocatello has no records of lead service lines currently in use within the City’s distribution system.
Lead has also been used in plumbing fittings and fixtures within homes. It can also leach into the water through the erosion of natural deposits.
“The City’s Water Department is responsible for providing high quality drinking water but cannot control the variety of materials used in household plumbing components,” said Armstrong.
If you believe you have lead at the tap, have the water tested by a certified laboratory. Other steps you can take to protect your family include purchasing a certified water filter to remove lead, flushing out water lines after a period of stagnation, and avoid consuming hot water from the tap.
Every year the City’s Water Department conducts over 1,500 tests on water quality for more than 100 different compounds. These tests are required by the Federal Safe Water Drinking Act and are completed in accordance with all Federal and State regulations. Community water systems are required to prepare and distribute a brief annual water quality report which summarizes information regarding their source water, detected contaminants, compliance and educational information. According to Pocatello’s 2015 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report, none of the sites tested were above action levels required by the Environmental Protection Agency. An action level is the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
For more information on the water delivered by the Water Department, residents can view the most recent Water Quality Report as well as previous reports going back to 2003 at pocatello.us/water.