The City of Iowa City and all community water systems nationwide have provided their residents with letters stating what they suspect the water pipe connecting the home to the public water main is lead or lead-contaminated.
These letters are federally mandated as a result of the Flint, Michigan water crisis and the legislation passed by Congress in 2020. The language used in the letter was also federally mandated and seems to have been designed to cause alarm amongst recipients.
Prestige Properties has contacted the City of Iowa City Water Division to better understand the risks associated with lead. We were informed there has been a federal lead rule in effect since 1991. This rule has required utilities to manage the chemistry of the drinking water to prevent corrosion of piping materials. This rule was violated by Flint, Michigan causing their crisis.
The City of Iowa City has been in compliance with these measures throughout and verify compliance with lead sampling efforts.
Prestige Properties intends to work with the Iowa City Water Division over the next years to have this same sampling performed at all residences that received the lead letter. The sampling may cause some inconvenience as the protocol requires the water to remain unused for a minimum of 6 hours to maximize the potential for any contamination to occur. Notice and coordination with residents will be provided when the sampling is scheduled.
If you have concerns in the interim, the City of Iowa City has informational resources about lead at www.icgov.org/water or you may call them at 319-356-5160. The City has also provided information about filter systems available at local retailers certified by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the contaminant removal. Look for filters with an NSF 53 or NSF 53 and 42 certifications. Typical brands meeting these requirements are PUR and ZeroWater.