Elevated levels of lead detected in water samples in some NW Harris County neighborhoods

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Residents in some northwest Harris County neighborhoods are being warned about elevated levels of lead in their water.

Neighbors in Harris County Municipal Utility District (MUD) 70 -- which includes the Westgate, Yaupon Ranch, Paddock, and Remington Grove subdivisions -- received the warning on Wednesday.

The discovery was made during the June 1 through Sept. 30, 2022 monitoring period, according to MUD 70.

MUD 70 said that although most sinks had low levels of lead in the drinking water, three out of the 20 samples taken from single-family homes had high lead levels above the EPA action level of 15 parts per billion or 0.015 milligrams of lead per liter of water.

Officials noted that this amount is not a violation under state or federal law, but it is enough to prompt additional sampling.

MUD 70 said the three locations were re-tested in November 2022 and were found to have lead amounts below the action level. Officials plan to re-test the three locations again between Jan 1. and June 30, 2023.

Lead in the water supply can lead to serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and children.

Lead usually enters drinking water as a result of corrosion or wearing away of materials containing lead, like household plumbing.

MUD 70 is going to conduct a corrosion check of its system and continue testing the water.

Until then, customers should run their water for a few seconds to flush out lead or purchase a water filter.

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