By Joe Trueblood, Superintendent of the Sheboygan Water Utility
Untreated water coming into Sheboygan’s water treatment plant has no detectable level of lead or copper. Similarly, water leaving the water treatment plant has no detectable level of lead or copper. However, most private service lines or laterals into homes are made out of lead or copper pipes. When water sits in contact with these pipes, it can dissolve lead and copper compounds, taking them into the household’s water. Also, internal fixtures and plumbing within many homes has lead solder, older brass components, and additional lead or copper piping that can also release lead and copper into the water.
As required by US EPA and WI DNR, the Water Utility tests for lead and copper in residential water every three years. This has taken place since 1994. Throughout those years, the Water Utility’s test results have been in compliance with US EPA and WI DNR requirements.
During the summer of 2020, the Utility conducted its latest round of testing. Thirty homeowners graciously cooperated and gathered the water samples in accordance with US EPA and WI DNR sampling requirements. All of these had lead service lines. Most had copper internal plumbing within the residence. Seven were sites that had not been tested in prior years.
The lead results ranged from <0.4 – 30.0 parts per billion (ppb). The 90th percentile value was 4.0 ppb. The action level for lead is a 90th percentile of 15.0 ppb. These results showed the Water Utility is in compliance with US EPA and WI DNR requirements. The property owner with the 30.0 ppb test result was notified and will now be required to replace their lead service line in compliance with local ordinance due to a health hazard. The Water Utility now maintains a financial assistance program to ease this process. The copper results were also in compliance.
Meanwhile, the Water Utility maintains its phosphate corrosion-reduction treatment process to help minimize lead and copper levels in drinking water. And the Water Utility is replacing lead service lines wherever possible on water main projects. More information on ways to reduce lead and copper exposure is available at sheboyganwater.org/water-quality/lead.
