TENTH ROUND OF VOLUNTARY HOUSEHOLD TEST RESULTS FROM SEBRING ALL BELOW FEDERAL ALLOWABLE LEVEL

Washington, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — Ohio EPA received another round of test results today from homeowners in the village of Sebring who asked to have their tap water tested and all 28 samples were below the federal allowable limit for lead. Ohio EPA ordered the village of Sebring on January 21 to offer free water testing for any homeowner who asked and will make those results public as they are received.

Combined with earlier voluntary test results received, 935 of 979 samples have been below the federal allowable level. Ohio EPA has followed up on some of the high readings and has found that the water coming into the home is healthy and running the tap for several minutes successfully eliminates any detectable lead in the water.

Ohio EPA continues to work closely with the village of Sebring and the U.S. EPA to fine tune the water chemistry to minimize lead from leaching into the water from piping of certain homeowners. Recent test results confirm that the village’s water plant is lead free.

Despite the fact that most results are below the federal allowable level, the village is still required to provide bottled water or filtration systems to homes where results are over the federal allowable level and work with the county to provide health screening for residents. In addition, the village must complete all immediate, short-term, and long-term actions required by the Ohio EPA Director. Today, Ohio EPA issued unilateral orders that memorialize everything the Agency is requiring Sebring to do to address the lead situation.

To minimize their lead exposure, all residents should follow guidance in public education documents provided by the village and, to flush out the lead, run their tap water for 30 seconds to two minutes before using it.

Ohio EPA will continue to release new results as they become available.

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The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1972 to consolidate efforts to protect and improve air quality, water quality and waste management in Ohio. Since then, air pollutants dropped by as much as 90 percent; large rivers meeting standards improved from 21 percent to 89 percent; and hundreds of polluting, open dumps were replaced with engineered landfills and an increased emphasis on waste reduction and recycling.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Heidi Griesmer