Lead in the water supply near Prague: residents rush to buy bottled water

Buying bottled water north of Prague on Friday, September 25, turned out to be almost impossible — many shops had sold out their entire stock. The rush was triggered by a warning that water utilities sent out the evening before through town halls and municipal offices: because of elevated lead levels, tap water in the areas of Klecany, Odolena Voda, Řež and Zdiby is not recommended for drinking, cooking or washing dishes.

This water can still be used for flushing toilets, doing laundry and mopping floors, and showering shouldn't be a problem either. Brushing teeth with tap water, however, is no longer advisable. The restriction applies in Klecany, Odolena Voda, Řež, Zdiby and the surrounding area — affecting roughly 5,100 connection points and around 15,000 residents in total. The problem is not new, either: the first complaints about deteriorating water quality came in two weeks ago, on September 10.

Case opened against unknown person

The above-limit lead contamination of drinking water is being tackled not only by Středočeské vodárny, the company that supplies water to the region, but also by municipalities searching for alternative water sources, as well as by residents themselves. Police and the Czech Environmental Inspectorate have joined the investigation. The company's technical director, Bohdan Soukup, said on Friday that the firm had already contacted these authorities, and that, because of the contamination of the catchment area, a criminal complaint has been filed with police against an unknown person.

At the same time, the company does not believe its infrastructure was the target of sabotage or an attack: no traces of unauthorized entry into the water supply facilities have been found. The source of the contamination has not yet been identified. According to company director Jakub Hanzl, one theory under consideration is the former Kasova rokle landfill near the water intake facilities. "Probably nobody really knows what's down there," Hanzl said of the site, which has been sealed off for several decades. However, contamination leaking from the landfill has not been proven — it is only one of the theories being examined: there are other old environmental problems near the water intakes as well, and some technical malfunction cannot be ruled out either, though none has been identified so far.

No direct threat to people's health

The good news: according to public health officials, there isn't enough lead in the water to put someone who accidentally drinks it from the tap in immediate danger. There is more encouraging news too — within a few days, the water tower in Odolena Voda and the nearby network are expected to be cleaned, the pipes flushed, and the supply of safe water restored. The utility says it can secure the water source as long as the situation doesn't worsen: tests carried out on Friday showed that all the sources currently in use meet the requirements of Decree No. 252/2004 on drinking water quality.

Water intake facilities in the Mělnická Vrutice and Řepínský Důl areas are currently being checked: 14 of the 36 wells where lead levels were monitored have been shut off there. Despite this, no water shortage is expected — water can be drawn from tested, uncontaminated sites, although the situation remains difficult. Checks are continuing to determine whether the contamination is spreading further.

To supply the affected areas, the company has deployed its own 21 tanker trucks carrying drinking water — though that is, admittedly, desperately insufficient. The utility is trying to rent additional tankers from other firms, while municipal representatives are turning to the State Material Reserves Administration for help.

Bottles flying off the shelves

The restrictions on Friday also affected school canteens: some stopped cooking altogether — for instance, the school in Zdiby temporarily switched to disposable plates and cutlery, since it would be difficult to wash regular dishes safely (although the utility insists that washing dishes in such water is not dangerous). In some places, kindergartens also had their operations limited. There is tense anticipation of how the situation will develop over the weekend, which this year is extended by a public holiday on Monday.

Some town halls have bought stocks of bottled water and are distributing it to elderly people and those who have difficulty securing water on their own. Shops have been advised to order more bottled water — and they can see it for themselves: in many places stocks had already sold out by Friday, and in some as early as Thursday evening. Some families reportedly drove all the way to Prague to get water.

Source: prazsky.denik.cz