EPA lead ruling unlikely to resolve water contamination issues in L.A. public housing "in part because the state has done such a poor job of collecting data for so long.”

Operators of water systems throughout California were required to submit information this month to state water regulators on the presence of lead pipes.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power insists there are no lead pipelines requiring replacement within its nearly 745,000 connections.

For its federally mandated report, DWP reviewed historical records and inspected nearly 42,000 service lines citywide, discovering no lead pipelines or galvanized lines that can harbor contaminants. Based on its review, the water department says “the remaining service lines can be assumed to be non-lead with a certain level of confidence.”

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles says the water lines to four Watts housing complexes — Jordan Downs, Nickerson Gardens, Imperial Courts and Gonzaque Village — are made of galvanized steel or copper.

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-10-19/los-angeles-investigating-lead-tainted-drinking-water