Several areas in Harford County have been identified with lead contamination, in addition to the Fallston area one that started it all, according to the Harford County Health Department.
The lead contaminated water that was first found in the Grafton Ridge development appears to be much "broader" and "expanding across boundaries" according to Public Information Officer William Wiseman, of the health department.
Wiseman could not release which neighborhoods have been affected by the lead, but encouraged concerned community groups to contact the health department at 410-877-2300 and added that the health department will begin contacting residents and communities.
In a July community, Health Officer Susan Kelly briefly mentioned that elevated lead levels had been found in the nearby development of Saddle View, though, at the time, it was not to the same extent of Grafton Ridge. Both were build by Richmond American Homes.
The problem was first realized in the Grafton Ridge development, situated in Forest Hill near Fallston. In the July meeting, a representative from Richmond American suggested the brass T-valve in the well distribution system was to blame and said stainless steel replacements would be installed.
At the time, Vice President of Land Development William Briegel and Kelly, the health officer, said time will reveal more answers, which Wiseman reiterated Tuesday.
The health department did receive the aggregate data from Richmond American, as promised, Wiseman said, and it suggested that the lead is related to the "well water distribution system" and not the aquifer.
A health department release stated that lead contamination can occur regardless of construction compliance with standards and even so, in this case, as far as the department is aware, all work was done in accordances with inspections and permits.
"Everything is being done that can be done," Wiseman said, adding that they are awaiting more information.
As the information comes in, according to the press release, the health department is working with state agencies to present the issues at the upcoming quarterly meeting of the Environmental Health Liaison Committee, made up of the Maryland Department of the Environment, Department of Mental Health and Hygiene and local health departments, for discussion.
For Stacey Davis, now a resident of Forest Lakes, finding out about the lead contaminated water was a blessing and a curse.
It was Davis's house that started it all, when she tried to sell it in April. The couple who was purchasing it, Davis said Monday, had a loan through the U. S. Department of Veteran Affairs, which required a lead test before purchase.
"Thank God that discovered the problem," she said.
When she discovered the lead, Davis said, she called her immediate neighbors and the homeowners association to have them spread the word, as well as tested her three children for lead poisoning. As time passed, she said, "tests started failing" in surrounding homes.
In a development without much turnover, Davis was one of the residents who had lived there for four years, the first of which she was pregnant with her daughter.
In the past several years, she added, her 4-year-old daughter has developed a speech problem and her 14-year-old son's hearing issues worsened. Davis felt especially bad, she said, because she pushed her children to drink water all the time.
"I was just, just mortified that we had been drinking, cooking and bathing in lead water for four years," she said.
Now a resident of Forest Lakes, Davis said she is "happy" to be drinking city water and is waiting for a clinic to open at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center that can test lead levels in bones.
For residents still in lead contaminated homes with levels higher than the federal Environmental Protection Agency's action level of 15 parts per billion, the health department release included steps to help minimize lead exposure in the drinking water.
Lead deposits collect at various points in fixtures because of gravity, Wiseman said, including the base, neck and spout in faucets. To avoid lead exposure, according to the release, residents should only use the cold water tap for drinking or cooking and flush the tap for at least 30 seconds, especially if it hasn't been used for more than six hours.
In the event that a faucet has been used throughout the day, only a shorter flush time is necessary.
The health department release also pointed out that lead could not be boiled out of water and that infants, children and pregnant women should drink bottled or filtered water from a certified treatment system.
For more information, including a frequently asked questions page on lead contamination, go to http://www.harfordcountyhealth.com.