High levels of lead, iron found in water in SFCC building

Very high concentrations of lead and iron have been found in the water supply of a building on the Spokane Falls Community College campus, prompting officials to shut off the water and offer lead testing to employees.

Cloudy water was first reported in Building 17 in October. Additional reports of cloudy water this spring prompted a water test earlier this month, according to a Community Colleges of Spokane news release.

Testing determined the level of lead was 1,640 parts per billion and the iron level was 37,800 parts per billion. Federal water standards are no more than 15 parts per billion for lead and 300 parts per billion for iron.

The test results were received on May 16 and employees were notified the next day. Water dispensing stations were installed on both floors of the building and will remain there until the water tests clean.

School officials believe a corroded galvanized pipe is the source of the contamination, the news release said. The pipe served only the east section of Building 17, which houses the admissions and financial aid offices. The dining hall in the west side of the building receives its water from a different pipe.

Reports of cloudy water aren’t unusual and staff usually monitors it to see if it clears, said Chief Administration Officer Greg Stevens. The October report was that the water was cloudy in the morning and cleared throughout the day, he said, and the problem appeared to resolve itself.

The cloudy water returned in mid-March and a water filter was installed in the kitchen, Stevens said.

“That seemed to work until the end of April,” Stevens said.

That’s when employees reported cloudy water in the toilet bowls and maintenance staff started investigating, Stevens said. The campus is on city water so it isn’t normally required to test for lead and other contaminants, he said.

All the galvanized pipe in the building will be replaced with copper pipe and the water will be retested to make sure the problem is fixed. The repairs are expected to take about a week. No contamination was found in any other buildings on campus; buildings at SCC and all branch campuses will be tested in the next week.

Staff members and student employees who worked anywhere in Building 17 will be offered free urine tests Tuesday and Wednesday. The results of those tests will determine if additional testing is necessary, the release said.

Building 17 was constructed in 1985 and officials said they do not know how long the damaged pipe has been contaminating the water.