Lead detected in the drinking water of an Annisquam home last week has disappeared in subsequent tests, the city reported Wednesday, but the problem has now cropped up in another home, this one closer to downtown.
The tests last week were commissioned by Gloucester Citizens Concerned About Chloramines, a group founded this year when the city started using chloramine, a combination of chlorine and ammonia, to disinfect its drinking water. One of the possible byproducts of chloramine disinfection is an increase in lead leaching from pipes.
Those citizen tests found lead exceeding state safe levels in the water at the one Annisquam home with 15 other homes showing no elevated levels. Tests by the same group in July, before the introduction of chloramines, showed no elevated lead levels in 27 homes including the Annisquam home.
The new drinking water test results are the first conducted by the city and show one home out of 25 with elevated lead levels.
But that one home, the location of which was only described by the city as "near Grant Circle" came in at 77 parts per billion for lead, well over the state acceptable standard of 15 parts per billion.
On Wednesday, Gloucester drinking water compliance officer Larry Durkin said he did not yet have any idea what had caused the high result at that one home but would investigate further.
"We have not had a chance to contact the residence yet, but will do so soon. We will be working with this residence as we have been with the citizen sampling residence that had a high level lead in Annisquam," Durkin said.
Durkin still does not know what caused water in the Annisquam home to come back positive last week.
Of the other 25 houses tested by the city, the water in 18 of them did not have detectable traces of lead at all, Durkin said.
The city switched its chemical disinfection system to chloramine this year after suffering through a 20-day bacteria crisis and boil order last summer in which chlorine was found to be ineffective in Gloucester's antiquated pipe system.
The only way to kill the bacteria was to pump extra chlorine into the water, which then caused a spike in byproducts that come with excess chlorine, another violation of state regulations.
Aside from the lead issue, the city's testing shows that the chloramine is doing what it was intended to do.
With no bacteria outbreaks reported, Durkin said the level of disinfection byproducts in the water were down to 41.5 parts per billion this year compared with 206 parts per billion last year. The state standard is 80 parts per billion.
"Overall the Public Water System has been functioning very well following last year's boil order and since Babson came on line on July 9, 2010," Durkin said in an e-mail. The residual disinfectant has been maintained in distribution system and the disinfection by products and lead levels are well within compliance levels."
He added: "Since the Babson Water Treatment Plant restart there is low to no chlorine taste in the water and directional pipeline flushing ahead of Babson coming on line has significantly reduced brown water complaints."
Patrick Anderson can be reached at 978-283-7000, x3455 or at rgaines@gloucestertimes.com.
Police: Gunman Has Hostages in Realty Office
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
Raw Video: Passed Out Man Robbed
