With the high lead content in the public water supply in urban areas like Flint, Mich., and the high plastics content in the water in rural areas like North Bennington, Vt., a fair question might be: How’s the water in suburban Ridgefield?
According to Aquarion, the company that provides the town’s public water, there doesn’t appear to be anything to worry about.
Elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. High levels of perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, a toxic chemical in the water of Hoosick Falls, N.Y., and the wells of North Bennington, Vt., is linked in some studies to an increased risk for cancer, thyroid disease and serious complications during pregnancy, according to a report in The New York Times. Both those towns had industrial operations along the river that contaminated the water.
“The lead results are far below the highest allowed limit, which is 15 parts per billion,” said Peter Fazekas, director of public relations for the Bridgeport-based water company, which serves more than 625,000 people in 51 cities and towns throughout Connecticut.
The company serves 11,300 people in Ridgefield, through five supply systems, some of which come from wells. The main water supply is the Hemlock Reservoir off Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield. It serves 8,700 of the customers in Ridgefield, the majority. The other four smaller systems do not have up-to-date reports, although the reports that are available show a clean result as well.
Lead and other possible contaminants are tested for once every three years. The last test on the main supply was conducted in 2014, so that is the latest year for which results are available.
The Hemlock Reservoir is a far cry from the Flint River in Michigan.
“Flint has a few issues,” Fazekas said. “We’re taking our water from a high-quality source. Flint was taking it from a highly polluted and highly corrosive river. When they switched to the river, they did not put an anti-corrosion program in for that water source, they had no phosphates in the water,” Fazekas said.
Phosphates were added to the water by Aquarion 25 years ago, as an anti-corrosive measure for the lead found in plumbing, because in many cases lead found in water comes from the plumbing, not the water source.
In Connecticut, if Aquarion were to switch water sources as happened in Flint, it would require review and approval by the state Department of Health. “There, they did not,” Fazekas said.
The tests at Aquarion are performed with stagnant water samples from household faucets, to be sure water is drawn from the worst circumstances, to be sure there is no lead. That is because lead is a component of the brass in the household fixtures, and the solder in the copper plumbing. The water is not run for six hours before testing is done, to clear the pipes. “When water sits in the plumbing, you get the highest possible lead number, and still it’s safe,” Fazekas said. “The reason for that is we began our anti-corrosion program over 25 years ago.”
The anti-corrosion phosphates are added at the treatment facility, or the well site.
The phosphates coat the water line and plumbing in the household and provide a barrier from any lead coming in contact with water.
The results:
- Lead, action level 15 parts per billion, actual level 2 parts per billion on average.
- Barium, allowable level 2 parts per million, actual level 0.027 parts per million on average.
- Chromium, allowable level 100 parts per billion, actual level not detectable.
- Copper, action level 1.3 parts per million, actual level 0.73 per million.
- Fluoride, maximum allowable level 4 parts per million, actual level 0.57 parts per million on average.
- Nitrate, allowable level 10 parts per million, actual level 0.952 parts per million on average.
- Chlorine, allowable level 4 parts per million, actual level 0.72 parts per million on average.
No local environmental groups had independent perspectives on these results.
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