Lakeland takes action after 3 children test high for lead

LAKELAND, Fla. — The city of Lakeland is making changes to one neighborhood’s water system after three children tested high for lead.

After months of searching for what caused the lead exposure, two mothers in the historic Beacon Hill neighborhood turned to Lakeland Water Utilities for help. Since then, the department says it has been working to find the source and make sure families aren’t exposed again.

City of Lakeland employees have spent the past five weeks digging underground and checking service lines in the area — something Lakeland Water Utilities Director David Bayhan says is critical to finding answers.

“I feel like we’re really doing everything we can do in a very timely manner to alleviate the fears and concerns that these customers may have in this particular part of the area in regards to our side of the system,” he said.

Bayhan says his team tested the neighborhood’s water for lead and only found small traces, well below the Environmental Protection Agency’s action limit. Despite not being required by law, crews also replaced about a dozen lead connectors attached to galvanized pipes across the area.

“Lead connectors are usually found in much older homes. Our records show that we stopped installing these sometime in the 1970s,” Bayhan said.

But Bayhan says there’s no way to know if the connectors caused the children’s high lead levels.

“There are other factors that could be the source of lead presence in their blood,” he said. “That could be things in their internal plumbing system, downstream of our system. Older fixtures, older plumbing fixtures have lead in them. Older pipes have lead in them.”

He says this is common in neighborhoods like Beacon Hill, which has been around since the 1920s.

Residents say they’re grateful for the city’s efforts, but they want all the galvanized pipes in the city to be replaced.

Bayhan says that’s already part of Lakeland’s capital improvement plan, but not because they pose a risk.

“Just from the standpoint that they’re old and outdated, we need to replace those. I don’t personally believe they are a source of lead,” he said.

Crews are close to wrapping up at Beacon Hill. Bayhan says they have a few more connectors left to remove.