Twin cities water workers are reassuring the public the lead contamination that happened to Flint, Michigan is unlikely in central Illinois. Both Bloomington and Normal water departments have been getting questions related to the lead crisis in Flint, Michigan, about a couple dozen each. Water Directors for the two cities say their departments use chemicals to prevent corrosion. Flint's river water was acidic which ate into the lead pipes and allowed children to drink it.
But, Normal Water Director Steve Gerdes says Normal's well water starts slightly basic even before treatment. He says treatment boosts the PH further and then they have another additive to bring it back closer to PH neutral before it goes to residents.
Bloomington Water Director Bob Yehl says water from Lakes Evergreen and Bloomington is naturally about a nine on the PH scale and goes upward as treatment causes precipitation of some of the material in the lake water. Bloomington also, Yehl says, reduces the PH to something close to neutral before it flows through taps. Both say Bloomington and Normal water departments constantly monitor PH levels and do in depth safety tests weekly. Gerdes says in his quarter century of experience, Normal has never come close to violating standards on lead or copper.
Lead pipes were allowed in construction up until 1983, so a fair number are still underground in the twin cities. Gerdes and Bloomington Water Director Bob Yehl say when they find them, they replace them. Both cities also use an additive that tends to precipitate as a coating on pipes, sealing away lead from the water flowing through the pipes.
