SALISBURY – To eliminate lead in drinking water in the Dukeville area, the county government is considering completely replacing the plumbing in several homes in their Northeast Rowan Water System.

District manager Aaron Church will ask for approval during Monday’s commissioners’ meeting to launch an advertisement for a contractor overseeing replacements in homes where lead levels are above the EPA’s action level of 10 parts per billion.

The Northeast Rowan Water System serves 162 connections and several hundred residents. It is owned by the county but the water is treated by Salisbury-Rowan Utilities. The county has been working to resolve the water quality issue since sampling in 2020 showed elevated levels of lead. The county noted that the contamination was due to the solder in some customers’ house lines, rather than the water system itself.

If lead levels in water exceed the EPA’s current action level of 15 parts per billion, the water system will need to inform the public of steps to protect their health and possibly replace lead lines under their control. Rowan County has distributed Brita filters to customers in the Northeast Rowan Water System, encouraging customers to run the taps for a few minutes before use, clean the water aerators in their taps, and only boil with cold water.

The county has been given until Saturday June 12th to obtain EPA compliance through the NC Department of Environmental Quality. Church said the county and the SRU were able to meet this deadline by following the recommendation by Virginia Tech researchers and switched from using a polyphosphate blend to treat utility water to zinc orthophosphate.

The county also decided to build a $ 742,900 chemical booster pumping station on Long Ferry Road that will inject additional zinc orthophosphate into the Northeast Rowan Water System. NCDEQ approved the county’s treatment plan in April.

The switch to zinc orthophosphate took place on June 4th, but construction of the chemical pumping station will not begin until October. Even after the booster station has been completed by the beginning of 2021, it will still take some time for a protective zinc orthophosphate barrier to form in the pipes and prevent lead from penetrating.

“It takes a while for this barrier to be built,” said SRU Director Jim Behmer. “Even if you switch chemicals, it’s not an overnight solution.”

While the county is counting on the zinc orthophosphate and chemical booster station solution to work, Church said changing the plumbing in certain homes will eliminate the lead.

“If we do this, as I understand the science, it should make sure that the drinking water is safe even if the booster chemical pumping station does not work or takes longer than expected,” Church said.

The county has partnered with 120Water to test customer water in the system. So far, 119 samples have been collected, according to Church. Of these, 31 had lead levels in excess of 1.01 parts per billion, with eight exceeding the EPA’s current level of action of 15 parts per billion.

The district has already notified customers via the system who have taken part in the sampling of their lead levels. Now it will contact customers who could be candidates for new plumbing. To be eligible, a customer must go through two additional water tests that show the lead content in their water exceeds the threshold of 10 parts per billion. Customers who are entitled to new sanitary installations receive completely new pipes, taps and shower heads.

Church said he anticipates around 15 customers will be eligible, but that could change as more samples are completed. The county is still offering customers a $ 72 credit on their monthly water bill for doing the sampling at home. You can find more information about the water test online at rowancountync.gov/1662/Water.

The cost of replacing piping in the system’s homes is difficult to pinpoint right now, but it could cost the county hundreds of thousands of dollars. Church said the county will consider funding the project through the US rescue plan.

Church’s request to apply for a contractor for the pipeline renovation project is listed on the approval agenda for the committee meeting on Monday. If approved, Church said the county will likely hire a contractor by August and replace the plumbing work by late spring next year.

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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – More than a year after the state closed completely amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic, California officials announced Tuesday that all COVID-19 restrictions would be lifted due to vaccine distribution and a continued decline in new hospital stays nationwide on June 15th.

“In anticipation and expectation that we will do all of this, and I will repeat it – continue to wear face covers, continue to have access to vaccines, and continue to administer vaccines in a fair manner. If we keep up the pace, we will now go beyond the (reopening) blueprint, ”said Governor Gavin Newsom at a press conference in San Francisco on Tuesday morning.

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“We announce today that on June 15th we will go beyond the blueprint and get rid of the colored layers. We’re moving past the dimmer. We’re going to get rid of the blueprint as you know it today. That is on June 15th when we continue the good work. “

The announcement means 40 million Californians can finally return to a new normal. Business offices can be fully reopened, as can restaurants, bars, churches, cinemas, sports and entertainment venues and any other business that has struggled to survive under the severe restrictions. In addition, all schools and universities would be reopened for personal instruction.

“With more than 20 million vaccines administered across the state, it is time to turn the page on our animal system and try to fully reopen the California economy,” said Newsom. “We can now start planning our life after the pandemic.”

Dr. State Health and Human Services’ Mark Ghaly said Californians must continue to wear masks and avoid gatherings where they believe they may come into contact with the disease.

“It is our job now not to announce the completion of the mission, not to suppress our watch, but to continue the vigilance that has brought us to where we are today, with the lowest fall rates in America,” added Newsom. “We see a bright light at the end of the tunnel.”

In a conference call Tuesday morning, Ghaly announced that the state had distributed 20 million vaccinations – 4 million among the groups hardest hit by the disease. This sum is 7.2 million more than any other state and ranks 6th in the world.

“California has made incredible strides in fighting the spread of COVID-19 by staying home, masking, and quickly distributing vaccines to Californians in every corner of the state, including the communities hardest hit by the pandemic “said Ghaly.

70 percent of older Californians received at least one dose.

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“Hospital stays have steadily decreased,” he said. “And luckily there are really few deaths.”

On April 15, all Californians aged 16 and over can receive vaccination doses. According to Ghaly, officials have set a time window of 8 1/2 weeks from that date to prepare for the large-scale reopening and to monitor any possible surges that could delay it.

He said state health officials were also closely monitoring several new variants of the virus discovered in California and carefully monitoring new hospital admissions.

“Hospital stays are stable and low,” said Ghaly. “We watch who is admitted to the hospital. Whether they have been vaccinated or not … We are monitoring the new variants … We are confident of what we see. “

Newsom repeated these feelings.

“We now have a 1.6% positivity rate nationwide over a seven-day period,” he said. “We are reporting 1,367 cases today; still widespread, still deadly, still challenging. “

The state will also ditch its 31-week blueprint for the reopening of the color level, which is so familiar to all Californians.

“The state will transition to the new status as a whole,” said Ghaly. “There will be no more steps.”

Currently, Alameda, San Francisco, Marin, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and San Mateo counties have moved up to the Orange tier. It was announced Tuesday that Contra Costa, Napa, and Sonoma counties will move to Orange Tier on Wednesday morning, while only Solano County in Red Tier in the Bay Area remains.

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Napa is just one of 16 California counties that will move to less restrictive status as of Tuesday’s announcement.

The post California May Carry All COVID-19 Restrictions Statewide, Eradicate Tier System By June 15th – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.