City Seeking $125,000 to Study Lead in Water

By Rachel Ward

Rochester, NY – Members of city council are voting Tuesday night, about whether or not to approve a $125,000 study of Rochester's drinking water.

The examination is necessary, according to legislation forwarded by the mayor. The legislation says Rochester's water is safe, and hasn't crossed the 15 parts per billion that the Environmental Protection Agency recommends lead levels stay below. But lead levels are trending upward, according to the bill.

Elias Rodriguez, an EPA spokesman, says lead problems can worsen over the years.

"All over the country, especially when you have older public water treatment systems, you can find potential problems with lead. The source is usually older pipes, or soldering. This results in corrosion, which is typically the area in which lead gets into the drinking water."

The city initially sought $120,000 to fund a study by HDR Incorporated of Omaha, Nebraska. A city council committee upped the maximum amount of the grant to $125,000.

Rodriguez says the EPA and other agencies sometimes offer funds to study lead problems and implement solutions. The city of Rochester did not return calls, to answer WXXI's questions about whether or not funds for the lead study would be reimbursed by a state or federal agency.