Sampling of water for lead, copper begins Aug. 5 in WS

Testing will take place Aug. 5-8 and involves taking one sample of water from your tap.

If you're interested, contact Troy Rosenburg at 509-493-1133, x501.

“This testing is a vital part of ensuring that the water you drink is safe,” Rosenburg said in a post on the city’s Web site.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule summary, lead and copper enter drinking water primarily through plumbing materials. “Exposure to lead and copper may cause health problems ranging from stomach distress to brain damage,” the summary states.

In 1991, the EPA published a regulation to control lead and copper in drinking water, primarily through reducing water corrosivity.

The treatment technique for the rule requires systems to monitor drinking water at customer taps.

If lead concentrations exceed an action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb), or copper concentrations exceed an action level of 1.3 parts per million (ppm) in more than 10% of customer taps sampled, the system must undertake a number of additional actions to control corrosion.

Before 1991, the previous standard for lead was 50 ppb, measured at the entry point to the distribution system.

The Lead and Copper Rule established a maximum contaminant level goal of zero for lead in drinking water.