Notice of high lead levels in water alarm Cypress subdivisions; officials say no reason to worry

Cypress community on alert following report of elevated lead levels

FOX 26 Reporter Gabby Hart has more on how community members are reacting to the report.

CYPRESS, Texas - A Cypress community is on alert after being notified of elevated levels of lead detected in recent water samples.

On Wednesday, state water safety agencies notified residents in several Cypress subdivisions about the possibility of dangerous lead levels in their water. That notice saying in part: Harris County Municipal Utility District 70, also known as MUD 70 accounts for several subdivisions including Westgate, Yaupon Ranch, Paddock, and Remington Grove.

MUD 70 reports between June and September of this year, three out of 20 samples taken from single-family homes showed lead levels above the EPA action level.

John Taylor with Municipal Operations and Consulting, a company that works with MUD 70, says those tests may have been inaccurate, and when retested, the levels were normal.

Taylor sent the following statement:

"The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality ("TCEQ") requires all water systems to sample for the presence of lead. Residents of the West Gate and Paddock subdivisions in Harris County MUD 70 collected 20 samples during the period June 1- September 30, 2022, of which three samples exceeded the action level of .015 mg/L. The customer received notification of sample results during the same sample period. This first round of samples were all self-administered and collected by the residents from the internal faucets of their homes. There are specific state guidelines, and any deviation from these guidelines can alter the sample results. Once the customer collects the samples, a MUD representative takes those samples to a state certified lab for testing.

For the three samples that initially exceeded the action level (.015mg/L), representatives of MUD 70 visited those households to instruct them on the process for re-testing. In each case, the results from those three new tests were found to be below the action level.

Because of this, there is no indication of a problem with the public drinking water in Harris County MUD 70.

Nevertheless, in an abundance of caution, MUD 70 will ask residents to resample in January 2023. All customers in the MUD received information via USPS regarding lead public education the week of November 28th, 2022. This letter is meant to inform customers on lead material in their homes’ plumbing that could potentially leach into the water supply."

For information and resources on lead poisoning and protecting your family see information below:

1. Run your water to flush out lead. Run water for 15 – 30 seconds to flush lead from interior plumbing or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature before using it for drinking or cooking if it hasn’t been used for several hours.

2. Use cold water for cooking and preparing baby formula. Do not cook with or drink water from the hot water tap; lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Don’t use water from the hot water tap to make baby formula.

3. Do not boil water to remove lead. Boiling water will not reduce lead.

4. Look into additional treatment of water. You may want to consider purchasing a water filter. Read the package to be sure the filter is approved to reduce lead. Be sure to maintain and replace a filter device in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions to protect water quality. Contact NSF Internation at 800‐NSF‐8010 or visit www.nsf.org.

5. Get your child’s blood tested. Contact your local health department or healthcare provider to find out how you can get your child tested for lead if you are concerned about exposure.

What Happened and What is Being Done

Routine sampling was completed in June 2022. Three of the twenty samples taken from single family homes exceeded the action level for lead. As noted above, these three locations were re‐sampled in November and the results were below action levels. Additional lead sampling will be performed at residences between January 1 – June 30, 2023. In addition, water in the distribution system is being analyzed for various water quality parameters, and a corrosion analysis will be submitted to the TCEQ for review. If necessary, a corrosion control plan will be implemented to inhibit the leeching of lead from indoor plumbing and fixtures. This program may include adding corrosion control treatment, source water treatment, and if necessary, replacing lead service lines. A follow-up study will be performed to confirm the effectiveness of the plan. If you have any questions about how we are carrying out the requirements of the lead regulation, please give us a call at 281‐367‐5511 for more information.