EAST CHICAGO — The city's director of operations told residents that lead the EPA recently discovered in the drinking water at 18 homes in the USS Lead Superfund site came from service lines just outside or even inside homes, and that the findings highlight a nationwide problem.
Greg Crowley said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found the lead after testing water at multiple points inside homes or leading up to homes, but that water coming from the city's water mains did not have lead in it.
The federal government banned lead and lead solder in piping in 1986, and brass and chrome-plated faucets were permitted to contain up to 8 percent lead until 1996, he said.
Much of the housing in East Chicago predates those regulatory changes, and homes likely still have at-risk piping.
"We have a lot of legacy issues that we're still dealing with in terms of the quality and the condition of the piping in our overall infrastructure," Crowley said.
EPA found the lead in drinking water after testing 34 homes, a spokesman said. The testing was done before the agency began excavating lead- and arsenic-contaminated soil and is part of a pilot program to determine whether digging might cause lead particles from old pipes to enter the water supply.
Mayor Anthony Copeland said the city has a program in place to split the cost with residents of check valves to prevent sewage backups. Officials are considering a similar program to help residents obtain water filters, he said.
Copeland said he's also requested Gov. Mike Pence for an emergency declaration to help bring in more federal funding, and the city is still encouraging parents to have their children tested for lead and then return for confirmatory testing.
Blood testing is vital, because the city needs the data to show there is a problem when it seeks funding, he said.
Crowley said East Chicago pulls its drinking water from Lake Michigan and filters it at two different plants: one built in the 1960s and a second that came online in 2012 but initially was hampered by technological problems.
Crowley said one of his priorities in the past four years on the job has been to move toward using the new plant as the city's only source of drinking water. Testing has been done to bring the new plant fully online, but the testing has not affected the quality of the city's water, he said.
The city's water quality is "excellent" and complies with EPA standards, he said.
"The issue with regard to lead contamination is a separate issue altogether," Crowley said of the city's water filtration.
East Chicago, unlike Flint, Michigan, treats its water with phosphate to inhibit lead leaching or corrosion in pipes, he said.
The city has been treating its water with phosphate since 1991, when the EPA implemented its lead and copper rule. East Chicago is working with EPA to ensure the level of phosphate it's adding is optimal, he said.
"The city tests daily," he said. "We've been doing that for the last two decades."
Residents can check the Water Department's website for a presentation Crowley gave with tips on how to check for in-home lead service lines and what type of water filters to buy.