SOUTH GATE : City Tests Pipes in Homes for Lead

City water department employees are sampling water at homes with copper- and lead-soldered plumbing this month in an effort to comply with a recently enacted federal regulation.

Samples are being collected so the city can comply with a 1991 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulation requiring water suppliers to measure copper and lead levels in home water.

High levels of lead in drinking water can interfere with physical and mental development in children, and large doses of copper can cause liver and kidney damage, according to the EPA. Residents who want to reduce their exposure to lead and copper should only use cold water for cooking and drinking. Hot water is more likely to carry the contaminants.

Although the EPA rule applies to homes built in the last 10 years, lead solder was banned by the federal government for residential use in 1986. Officials want to test the water at homes where plumbing was installed or replaced between 1982-86.

Cities with 10,000 to 100,000 residents are required to sample at least 60 homes. South Gate has 86,386 residents. Water department employees are canvassing neighborhoods on weekends to find homes to test. The employees carry identification and are dressed in city uniforms.

Jim Biery, the city’s director of public works, believes there are about 1,000 homes in the city that could have the copper-lead piping.

Although South Gate has until June 30, 1993, to comply with the regulation, city officials expect to submit their findings to the EPA by the end of the year.

Information: (213) 563-9537