Report: Chicago Cheated On Its Water Tests
By Emma G. Gallegos in News on Jun 2, 2016 6:03PM
Part of what allowed Flint's horrifying lead-tainted water crisis to go unnoticed for so long was that it used testing methods that covered up one of the country's worst public health crises. So The Guardian has stepped in to investigate the water testing methods around the U.S. It found that 33 cities, including Chicago, cheated on their tests in the same way Flint had.
The Guardian scrutinized the testing methods of the 81 most populated cities east of the Mississippi over the last decade. The newspaper looked into three major ways that cities test their water systems that can mask high lead levels: Chicago has been guilty of using all three recently. That's bad news considering that Chicago has more lead service lines than any other city in the country. (Philadelphia was the only other major city to cheat on all three tests. Buffalo, New York; Sebring, Ohio; Lewiston, Maine; and Springfield, Mass. also used these questionable methods.)
Testers in 21 cities were instructed to "pre-flush" water pipes before conducting their tests. That water that comes out at first is more likely to be lead tainted. In 23 cities, testers were instructed to run water slowly, which ensures that less lead will be dislodged from pipes. In 7 cities, testers removed aerators (small metal filters found in most faucets) from spouts. Lead can get stuck in these aerators, which can increase levels coming out of the tap.
All of these methods go against EPA guidance, and it's not hard to see why. The average resident probably isn't doing any of these things when they go to drink a glass of water the tap—unless a tester flagged their water supply as suspect.
Chicago did stop pre-flushing water and removing aerators in its tests in 2012. But there was also another wrinkle: officials were asking employees to conduct tests in their own homes. (It seems very Chicago, though the same issue was reported in Philly.) It was previously reported that Chicago only tests 50 houses every three years for lead levels.
The EPA didn't respond to The Guardian's story, though they did say they were working on "long-term revisions" to its lead and copper testing rules...in 2017.
In the meantime, if any of this concerns you, you can now get your own water tested for free. Any home built before 1986 is suspect.