ASHEVILLE - The city has received more than 4,000 requests for lead-testing kits from water customers since lead was found in the water at several Asheville schools in mid-November.
Water Resources spokesperson Clay Chandler said results will take four to six weeks to be processed by a third-party lab.
The city has reiterated that there is no detectable lead levels in its source water, like that from the North Fork reservoir, the system's main feeder, or its distribution pipes. Lead detected in the schools and other buildings is coming into the water as it moves through those buildings' own internal pipes; lead is a particular risk with plumbing that is several decades old.
For those in buildings built before the mid-1980s, the city advises customers to flush their systems daily before consumption.
Asheville's water system, which serves Buncombe County and the northern portion of Henderson County, went 19 days without its typical corrosion control. Such measures help reduce the potential for lead to leach from household plumbing and service line plumbing into drinking water, Chandler said.
Corrosion control treatment resumed Oct. 30.
Plumbing in structures built before 1988 have increased potential to be a source of lead exposure if water sits undisturbed for four to six hours, the city said. About 60% of the city's homes were built prior to that year.
Since the city lifted its boil water notice Nov. 18, more than seven weeks after Tropical Storm Helene pummeled Western North Carolina, staff has told residents normal use for consumption and hygiene can resume. For those with plumbing installed before 1988, however, the city recommends customers run the faucet for 30 seconds to two minutes or until the temperature changes if the system has not been used for more than four hours.
Chandler said that has been the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidance since the first lead and copper rule was passed in 1991. Staff said the protocol isn't new, and that since the city's lead awareness program began in early 2021, they have advised customers to flush the system before use.
"In the past, we have promoted the program through social media, messaging posted on our webpage, letters, postcards and through the media, but have historically encountered difficulty generating interest or participation," Chandler told the Citizen Times Nov. 20.
Lead exposure is particularly hazardous to people who are pregnant, breastfeeding or children under the age of six.
For people who are concerned, with houses built prior to 1988 or with children, Brenna Cook, compliance manager with Water Resources, said Nov. 19 they can choose to use bottled water or follow the flushing protocol.
Despite the city's assurances, fears about lead risks and frustrations around "murky" messaging persist, with some noting they have never heard the "flushing" advisory for older homes until now.
Sally Wasileski Schmeltzer, a UNC Asheville chemistry professor and department chair, sent a letter to local media and others, posted by Mountain Xpress Nov. 19, urging further investigation and education around lead levels in the drinking water.
Wasileski told the Citizen Times she sent it as a concerned resident of Buncombe County. Suspension of the corrosion control has the potential to cause a new problem for Asheville water customers: the leaching of lead into drinking water resulting from changes in the integrity of the private plumbing without it, Wasileski said.
She said it was unclear how much damage to the protective layer could be caused by the 19-day lapse. Test results at the school indicate the potential for more widespread damage to the plumbing in residences and businesses, Wasileski said, and a possible new risk.
"Best-case scenario, what I want to have happen, is we do widespread lead testing, we see that it's a low amount of lead, and we can add to the knowledge base that 19 days of lapse of corrosion control does not interfere with widespread plumbing infrastructure and that Asheville is safe," she said. "That is what we want to have happen.
"But we can't just wish for it. We have to be protected until we have those results. And so that's why I wrote my letter."
Wasileski called for widespread testing at the tap and clearer, more significant communication around the precautions that should be taken in the meantime, like sourcing water from a distribution station or using bottled water.
Of how much damage might have been done by the lapse in corrosion control, Water Resources spokesperson Chandler said over email the "potential exists that the corrosion layer did begin to break down," but test results did not point toward a "complete breakdown" in corrosion control during those 19 days.
He said staff will not know for certain if impacts persist until the city begins to receive results from the customer testing. Samples were received as early as Nov. 16.
It can take up to three months for corrosion control to take effect, Chandler said, "although it's important to note that guidance we received from the EPA says it can be completely regenerated within a month."
He said tests done before the boil-water notice was lifted showed that corrosion control chemicals "had reached every part of the system."
The city detected lead in the schools during "investigative sampling" throughout October. It tested 25 sites, among them select county and city elementary schools, other child-care facilities and a private home.
Out of 25 sites tested during the investigative lead sampling, seven had detectable lead levels on the first draw, Chandler said -- meaning, water that had been sitting stagnant for multiple weeks was tested straight out of the pipe, with no flushing beforehand.
After a 30-second flush, six of those fell below detectable levels. Only one still had a detectable level.
"Corrosion control is important, and we're certainly glad it's been back for more than three weeks, but flushing is the easiest and best way to reduce risk of lead exposure from older plumbing and fixtures," he said.
Overall results from at-home customer tests will be made public, Chandler said, although private addresses will not be released. The department will follow up with customers who may have detections of lead in their homes or businesses.
Chandler said the city plans to retest the city and county elementary schools at the end of November, in February 2025 and again in April 2025.
Call the city at 828-259-5962 or send an email to [email protected] to request to test your water for lead. It is free to any city of Asheville water customer.
Read the city's lead education handout: https://bit.ly/3V6TTfF
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Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email [email protected] or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.