Got my water bill yesterday and it also contained the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utility Department’s 2013 water quality report. And there is something of interest in there: For lead, the EPA has established an “action level” (“the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow”) of 1.5 parts per billion. CMUD recorded lead levels of as high as 7 parts per billion last year and notes that three of 53 sites exceeded the action level. Lead in water comes from corrosion in older household plumbing systems. If you live in an older house, this is something you should you should be concerned about.
by Michael Lowrey