Lead levels lead to RGC drinking fountains closing

The drinking water at Rio Grande Campus was tested once more for lead in early October and the results will be posted soon on the Austin Community College website according to ACC's Public Information and College Marketing Department.

"When the plumbing is redone, it will be replaced according to current building codes and this will eliminate the lead," according to a statement released by ACC's Public Information and College Marketing Department and Executive Director for Environmental Health, Safety and Insurance, Rebecca Cole. Currently there is no set date for when the plumbing will be replaced at the Rio Grande Campus.

Concern over lead in the drinking water at the campus has caused the college to post signs advising students and faculty not to drink the water.

All of the drinking fountains in the main building were shut off, and signs labeling the water non-potable went up on Sept. 29.

Baer Engineering and Environmental Consulting Inc. collected water samples at Rio Grande in May of 2010.

ACC's Environmental Health and Safety Insurance Department posted a link to Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) lab results from the Baer Engineering and Environmental Consulting Inc. reports on ACC's website. The link shows the results from tests conducted on all of the fountains at RGC campus on the dates of May 27, Aug. 19 and Sept. 16.

The Rio Grande Campus water had also been tested for lead in 2006 by Baer Engineering and a total of 79 samples were collected and analyzed. Nine of the 79 locations sampled were found to exceed the EPA action level. The Action Level is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water and is an enforceable standard.

According to the statement released by the Public Information and College Marketing Department, lead concentrations are coming from the original plumbing.

Concentrations of lead found in the water fountains are not above the maximum contaminant level (MCL) or Action Level standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Aug. 19 report by Bear Engineering and Consulting showed that 10 of 16 fountains resulted in a reading above the maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG), which according to the EPA website there is no level of lead in drinking water below which there is no known risk to health.

Baer Engineering tested drinking water samples again in September, and none were found to be over the MCLG but in that report Bear Engineering and Consulting recommended shutting down the water fountains and putting bottled water stations as a substitute until further testing was done.

"We will continue to monitor the lead by periodic testing, but for now the current actions will remain in place. Please know the health and well being of our students, employees, and community is the college's utmost concern, and ACC will continue to take appropriate actions to protect our college community," according to the statement by the Public Information and College Marketing Department.

"In reality (the lead) is below any action levels. It's a perception of a problem more than a real health problem," said Bob Blodgett a professor of geology at RGC. Blodgett was also a member of the TECQ for six years before becoming a professor.

"I have no problem drinking the water here. I'm actually more concerned about drinking bottled water and the plasticizers that bottled water contains," said Blodgett. "I wouldn't be concerned if a child or a pregnant woman drank that water, its well below the action level."

"ACC Rio Grande is an older campus, and these buildings are bound to have lead in them. The newer campuses such as Round Rock and Cypress shouldn't have any lead in them," said Mike Lentz, the Drinking Water and Lead Copper Coordinator who oversees the Lead and Copper Program for Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

The water at Simon's Cafe was also shut off. The cafe, which already uses a water purifier to filter out different chemical deposits including small traces of lead, took extra precautions by using only water bottles to make tea, coffee, and soda beverages according to the Simon's Cafe manager at Rio Grande, Tae Park.

Simon's Café is also using bags of store bought ice, according to Park.

"It's a pain," Park said about using the bottled water, "but we have no choice."

Rio Grande Campus Senator Giovanni Sanchez has been in close contact with Executive Director of Environmental Health and Safety Insurance Rebecca Cole.

"While we appreciate that ACC is taking steps to shut off the water fountains that are in question and putting out an alternative water source, we would like to see that this issue is more clearly communicated with the student body so that they know what is going on with the water," said Student Government Association Rio Grande Campus Senator Giovanni Sanchez.

The college will continue to monitor the situation according to the statement by the Public Information and College Marketing Department. The statement also said that "because it was slightly above the level of "no known risk," the college moved forward with shutting down the water fountains as a precaution, particularly for high-risk groups such as children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. We take a conservative approach where matters of health and safety are concerned."

Editor's Note: Despite several attempts by the Accent staff, Rebecca Cole and other members of the of Environmental Health, Safety and Insurance department were not available for comment.