In the wake of the lead discovery in Flint, Mich., water quality around the country has come under the microscope.
As part of a USA Today Network investigation, the Reno Gazette-Journal recently reported that 23 of Nevada’s water systems are non-compliant, including three of those systems for lead. Five of them are in Clark County.
Jennifer Carr is the deputy administrator of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, which oversees almost 600 water systems in the state.
She told KNPR's State of Nevada that noncompliance is based on drinking water standards set by the state and federal government.
“If a water system’s data that we’ve reviewed exceeds a maximum contaminate level or an action level, we refer to that system as being non-compliant,” Carr said.
Carr said most of the contaminates are naturally occurring. Arsenic and uranium, for example, can leach into a water system from the surrounding soil and lead and copper issues are related to the natural pH of the water.
Carr also said a solution to a contamination problem can trigger another problem. For instance, chlorine used to clean water of bacteria can lead to a problem called total trihalomethanes.
As for fixing the water, Carr said it is up to the water system to create a plan and pay for it. There are grants available from the state.
“It's not uncommon for facilities that were built decades ago to have plumbing that doesn’t meet current standards,” she said.
The three systems contaminated with lead are passing out bottled water until problems can be fixed.
Clark County's non-compliant water systems include:
- Goodsprings School (Lead)
-Frontier Village Mobile Home Park (Arsenic)
-Desert Paradise Mobile Home Park (Arsenic)
- Roark Estates Water Association (Arsenic)
-Deer Creek Springs (Total Coliform)
Further information about the water systems found in non-compliance can be found on NDEP's public water watch website.
Jennifer Carr, deputy administrator, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection,