MWD Ads Will Stress Low Level of Lead in Water

The Municipal Water District of Orange County, the county’s largest water wholesaler, announced Tuesday that it will run a series of newspaper advertisements to alert consumers about lead levels in local water supplies.

A series of recent countywide sampling programs in homes, schools and businesses has shown lead levels well below federal health standards. However, the federal Environmental Protection Agency, under a congressional mandate, has required water agencies across the country to notify consumers by July 1 about lead levels in drinking water supplies even if it is not a problem.

The Santa Ana-based Municipal Water District, which delivers water to retail agencies serving about 1.5 million county customers, plans to run the newspaper ads beginning later this month telling consumers that local water is safe to drink, said Mary Jane Forrester, the agency’s special projects coordinator. The ads also will instruct consumers on how to reduce the potential for lead in their water as well as how they can have their water tested.

The agency recommends, for example, that if water sits in pipes for several hours the consumer should let water run for at least 30 seconds before drinking to allow fresh water into the plumbing system.