The City of Columbia expects to reach the 100 participants it needs to provide water samples for lead and copper testing within a few weeks, according to the Utilities Department.
After receiving a notice of violation for failing to submit any samples to the state last year, the city must submit a total of 200 samples this year to return to compliance. It must first collect water samples from 100 sites that are serviced by the city’s water lines by June 30 and submit them to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
Deidra McClendon, a laboratory supervisor for the city, said new samples from the same 100 sites must be collected by the end of the year.
Matt Nestor, spokesperson for the Utilities Department, wrote in an email that the city sent a letter to 1,600 customers on March 3, inviting them to participate in the study.
The letter said the city doesn’t expect problems to be found regarding lead or copper but that testing is required by the state and federal governments.
As of Friday, the city had found 49 customers that agreed to participate in the testing required by the state, Nestor wrote.
Nestor did not respond to multiple requests for a phone interview.
The sites prioritized for the testing required by the state are split into three tiers by the Lead and Copper Rule:
• Tier 1: Single-family homes that use lead service lines, lead pipes or copper pipes with lead solder constructed after 1982.
• Tier 2: The same as Tier 1, but for multiple-family housing.
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• Tier 3: Single-family homes that use copper pipes with lead solder constructed in 1982 or before.
The city can only move to lower priority sites once it has run out of higher-tier sites to use for state testing, according to the Lead and Copper Rule. For example, if the city can no longer find owners of Tier 1 sites who agree to provide water samples, it can then begin to complete its sampling with Tier 2 sites.
McClendon said the city does not want to sample sites that use water treatment, such as water softener or a home filtration system, for state testing.
“We don’t want to sample those because they fundamentally change the water,” McClendon said. “The whole point of lead and copper monitoring is to see how our water is interacting with lead within a home.”
The letter also said the city is looking to put together a list of “at least 200 different residences that would be willing to participate” in this year’s sampling or sampling needed in the future.
Water testing for lead and copper is also available to any Columbia Water and Light customers who are concerned.
“If they don’t fall into one of our priority tiers, meaning that they really don’t have any risk of lead, then we are getting that sample separately from the DNR,” McClendon said. “So, they’re still going to get their water tested; it just won’t be part of the DNR sampling.”
Customers will be able to get their water tested even after the city has found the 100 sites it needs for the required state testing, McClendon added.
If you think your home’s water qualifies for the required state testing, or if you simply want to get your water tested for lead and copper, you can contact McClendon via email at Deidra.McClendon@CoMo.gov or by phone at 573-874-6242.