Testing finds elevated lead levels in some St. Paul drinking water

St. Paul Regional Water Services makes it their goal that 90% of all home tap water testing come back showing lead levels below 15 parts per billion. This year, for the first time in decades, more than a dozen homes out of 105 residential samples revealed lead levels at least slightly higher than the threshold, which is set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and aims to trigger stepped-up action against lead.

“The last time we had an exceedance was over 20 years ago,” said Racquel Vaske, deputy director of St. Paul Regional Water Services, noting home tap water testing occurs every few years through a sampling method. “This is something that most of us working here have not experienced in our careers thus far.”

The 13 homeowners have all been contacted for retesting. The water utility is working with them on next steps, such as providing information about how to clean their faucet aerators, flush their lines or get their lead ...