(LEWES, Del.) - National uproar remains as the Flint water crisis continues to unfold. The crisis now has many looking into their own water infrastructures, after realizing what happened in Flint, Mich. could happen anywhere.
Malinda Cecil, a registered dietician and dietetics program director at University of Maryland Eastern Shore, says lead-contaminated water poses long term negative effects on a person's health, especially in young children.
"It does cause neurological damage, especially to young children. They're more susceptible to absorbing lead from the environment," said Cecil.
On Friday, Feb. 12, State Senator Greg Lavelle stated in an email steps being taken to ensure proper water quality testing and standards:
"While there is no indication that our water quality is anything less than healthy, now is a great time to ensure our water quality standards and safety are being met in Delaware. To this end, I wrote a letter to DNREC Secretary David Small and Public Service Commission Chairman Dallas Winslow for information about the state's review of drinking water supplies. We will continue to get answers, though it is clear Delaware is nowhere near the quality issue present in Michigan."
To better understand where some folks in Sussex County get their water from, WRDE met up with Tidewater Utilities, Inc. at their Rolling Meadows facility in Lewes, one of their largest producers in the Rehoboth District.
Senior Plant Manager Kyle Betts says unlike Flint, Tidewater draws their water from the ground.
"We only pH adjust, and we add chlorine or hypochlorite solution for disinfection. The addition of the caustic soda or pH adjustment to raise the pH in water is what inhibits the corrosion of pipe work and the leaching of lead and copper into your drinking water," explained Betts.
Betts also reassures us that they do not use any lead piping. They use all PVC piping, which stands for polyvinyl chloride, and is one of the most widely used plastic piping materials. It is known to be environmentally sound and provide long service life.
Central District Manager Tom Herholdt says all of their water is checked a minimum of three days a week, and test samples are taken right from the tap.
"We feel very confident that we are providing the best water to our customers," said Herholdt.
