Can what happened to the drinking water in Flint, Michigan; happen in Homer?

Homer Public Works is hard at work making sure that your drinking water meets EPA standards and is not contaminated with lead – as appears to be the case in Flint, Michigan.

The problems in Flint were first brought to the attention of the public when residents were found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood stream. The corrosive Flint River water may have caused lead from aging pipes to leach into the water supply, causing extremely elevated lead levels.

The City of Homer’s drinking water source is not highly corrosive and our water distribution system has no lead components. There are some homes that may have some aging plumbing that do. Public Works does three things to make sure what happened in Flint does not happen in Homer:

1. At the treatment plant, small amounts of sodium hydroxide are added to the water for pH adjustment. This increases the pH of the water, minimizing the potential for the water to be aggressive, and reduces the opportunity for lead and copper to leach into the water.
2. Orthophosphate, a corrosion inhibitor, is added which creates a thin coating on the inside walls of the pipes in your home, creating a protective barrier between the water and the copper pipes/lead solder.
3. In homes constructed prior to 1986 (when lead was routinely used in building plumbing work), the City randomly completes testing at the tap to verify that lead and copper levels in the water meet EPA drinking water standards. Based on the encouraging results of these tests in Homer, EPA has approved reduced monitoring of this potential problem, but testing continues.

Public Works completes extensive testing - at the treatment plant, in the distribution system and in the homes of our customers to assure that your drinking water is safe – and that what is happening in Flint does not happen in Homer.