Official: Health Dept. Hasn't Prioritized Responding To Lead Level Concerns
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Lead in the water. The concerns are great and the question has been is raised: is local government doing enough to inform and protect us?
Today County Controller Chelsa Wagner said the Allegheny County Health Department has fallen short.
"The Allegheny County Health Department has not made a priority of providing clear, reliable information or of monitoring when it comes to elevated levels of lead in public water," she said.
In particular, high lead levels detected in homes served by the the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority have triggered mandatory action -- replacement of lead service lines and a public information program.
But Wagner questioned whether the health department was doing enough to oversee PWSA efforts and independently test the water quality of other municipal water authorities.
"As county controller as government official, I'm frankly outraged by the failure of our government agencies to acknowledge and correct this," she said.
But county health director Karen Hacker defended the health department, saying it has been actively involved in raising public awareness about lead and what to do about it.
"We're out there at these community meetings doing what we need to do and what we've been telling people is if you're concerned about lead in your water get you water tested," Hacker said.
If levels are high -- the department is advising steps such as running the water, buying a filter and replacing lead service lines to your home. But she said the department has gone one step further, urging the public to have their children tested.
"We want to make sure it's imperative that every child get tested for lead. So we can make sure there is no toxicity from lead in any of our children," Hacker said.
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