Syracuse families and advocates are sounding the alarm on what they say are unsafe levels of lead in drinking water caused by lead pipes. More than two dozen people gathered in front of city hall Tuesday to urge the city to address what they say is a crisis by quickly replacing lead pipes. The New York Civil Liberties Union organized the rally, and director of the racial justice center Lanessa Owens says immediate action is needed.
“Declare a state of emergency so that can unlock some state and federal fund so we can expedite the replacement of the lead pipes," Owens said.
But the mayor's chief policy officer Greg Loh says the groups' concern is based on flawed testing samples which produced inaccurate results.
“The data and the facts don't support the need for or the reality that a declaration of emergency exists.”
Loh says the city is already replacing water lines, and is on track to do more.
“In the next year, we'll do more than 3,000 lead service line replacements in the city," Loh said. "That's probably double what the EPA is asking cities to accomplish, and our goal is to continue to accelerate that pace in the years ahead.”
Water samples taken earlier in the year showed lead levels at more than five times the federal limit. That’s the data being cited by the advocates as the cause for alarm. Loh says city employees did not follow federal guidelines for collecting the samples, which generated the flawed results.
“When properties were resampled following the proper protocols, the levels returned to below the EPA action levels," Loh said. "That tells us that what occurred in the first half of the year was in fact outliers from what happened previously. The explanation at this stage appears to be those procedures weren't followed properly when the samples were taken, which may explain those elevated levels.”
Loh says in a previous written response, Onondaga County’s health commissioner told the groups that Syracuse’s drinking water is not contaminated. Still, the NYCLU and others say the city is not being fully transparent about the problem, and could warn residents of the possible risks.
“Last Saturday we've knocked on hundreds of doors and folks have no idea what's going on," Owens said. "So a public education plan [is needed] so people can protect themselves. They sell water filters at every Walmart, Lowe's, Home Depot for people who have the means.”
For those who don’t, she says the city should distribute filters free of charge. The Syracuse Common Council is hosting a town hall-style meeting Thursday evening at 5:30 in chambers to educate residents about lead and address their concerns.
