PALATKA, Fla. – The city of Palatka shared an update on Monday after alerting citizens last week to elevated lead levels in water found in some homes during routine monitoring.
City leaders said that in November, city workers collected 62 residential water samples as part of required EPA testing.
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Of those, six samples - approximately 10% – showed lead levels above the EPA’s Lead Action Level.
The city said all of these elevated results came from homes built before 1986, a period when lead plumbing was commonly used in private residential construction.
According to the city, even before the Dec. 5 public notice went out, the city had completed the replacement of all city-owned customer service infrastructures, including meters and fittings, and other fittings located on the city side of the service connection.
Meter boxes, connectors, and all relevant city-side pipes have been replaced over the last several years.
The city said testing after the replacements confirmed that all water from the city meets all state and federal regulatory standards.
But the city warned that it is only responsible for the water entering the property, and that anyone living in a home built before 1986 should consider testing their water to see if their home’s pipes have lead.
Free or low-cost water-testing kits are available at local hardware stores.
More information on reducing lead exposure is available at the EPA website: www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water.