AWWA WQTC69500

Lead above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Action Level was detected in water of new buildings on the University ofNorth Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) campus. To protect public health while the problem wasassessed and remediated, fountains were turned off, bottled water was provided to buildingresidents and public education materials were distributed. The problem with high lead wassuccessfully mitigated by: eliminating hyperchlorination, flushing debris from the linesand thoroughly cleaning aerators; and, implementing commissioning procedures for newendpoint devices to more rapidly passivate surfaces and remove labile lead deposits. Morestringent leaching standards from NSF International (NSF) and use of unleaded (0.3% leadcontent) devices might eliminate this issue in new construction over the long term, but until thesenew standards and materials come into common use, potable water in newly constructedbuildings remains vulnerable to relatively high lead in water. Includes 13 references, tables, figures.



Keywords: Lead; Standards; Construction; Public Health; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Cleaning; Aerators; Flushing