NEWS & INFORMATION
PWD Facts
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For more information, contact:
Michelle Clements, APR
207.774.5961, 3050
(cell) 228-4897
mclements@pwd.org
| October 8, 2004 |
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Portland Water District Responds To Washington Post Allegations on Lead Testing |
| VISIT WWW.PWD.ORG/FAQ TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT LEAD |
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| Recently, The Washington Post and NBC Nightly News reported that the Portland Water District manipulated water testing data to give misleading information about lead. The rules on lead sampling are complex, and we'd like to set the record straight.
• The Portland Water District has met the strict lead-sampling rule since 2001. Like all water utilities in the United States we began testing for lead in the early 1990s. At that time we learned that more than half of the homes we tested were not meeting the lead standard due to corrosion of household plumbing. We immediately initiated an exhaustive effort to minimize corrosion and saw the lead levels drop consistently over the next decade. In 2001 we first met the federally-established safe limit, and we continue to do so. The Maine Bureau of Health has approved our efforts and declares our system as ‘optimized.’ • We work for you and do not misrepresent data. The Portland Water District is a non-profit organization, represented by a publicly elected board of trustees. We are in business to serve our customers, and we take our responsibility to serve you very seriously. We strive to provide the cleanest, safest water possible and we will always openly report the results of water testing. • Greater Portland's water is some of the cleanest and safest water in the country. PWD delivers lead-free water to your home but lead can be leached from home-plumbing systems. The federal Lead and Copper Rule requires water utilities to test a sample of homes that are at greatest risk for high lead levels. The Portland Water District has followed the rule, and has even voluntarily done more sampling than required. We've openly communicated results through public service announcements, bill stuffers, water-quality reports, and our web site. We have confidence in the quality of the water you receive and want you to have confidence in it as well. Should you have any questions, please contact our customer service center at 761-8310, or visit www.pwd.org. To see what American Metropolitan Water Association reports, visit http://www.amwa.net/briefings/mmb10-11-04.html |
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For more information, contact:
Michelle Clements, APR 207.774.5961, 3050 (cell) 207.228.4897 mclements@pwd.org |
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