Philadelphia's water passed its last round of
lead testing with flying colors, but documents obtained by NBC News show
those results may offer a misleading picture of the lead flowing from
Philly taps.
A memo obtained by NBC News through a records
request shows that in 2014 in a city with up to 50,000 homes with lead
pipes, Philadelphia based its clean bill of health on sampling just 34
homes with lead pipes — fewer than required by law — while instead
testing far more homes without lead pipes. After inquiries from NBC
News, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said it is
now reviewing Philadelphia's data.
Experts say the choice of houses, coupled with
other flaws in the city's testing methods, may be offering Philly's
residents false comfort about the quality of their water - and are a
symptom of nationwide testing failures that may have masked lead
problems in cities across the country, including Flint. Compared to some
other U.S. utilities, Philadelphia Water has a reputation for being
well-run and resourced.
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Source: NBC News
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