An investigation in Watts is underway after a study discovered several homes with lead contamination in the water supply.
Out of 540 water samples taken from verified Watts addresses at single-family homes and public housing units, 21 came back with lead, according to the study carried out by Better Watts Initiative.
"I think that today is a historic day," said Megan Wong, a member of the Better Watts Initiative. "We want to find the direct sources of lead contamination in all of the different residences and the housing developments."
The investigation requests that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, as well as help from the Housing Authority, investigate the source of the lead exposure and find solutions.
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"It calls for immediate action to protect the health and safety of Watts residents," said LA City Council member Tim McOsker. "Our immediate response was to get a hold of HACLA which is the Housing Authority and the Mayor’s Office and make sure that we’re continuing to monitor this but immediately find the source and remediate."
Last month, the study's results prompted Mayor Bass to call for more testing of the drinking water in Watts.
Now the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, says they will begin testing at some of the sites and look into the source of the problem.
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"The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) remains dedicated to the health and safety of its residents and is working closely with the Mayor’s Office and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to expeditiously address this issue. Water hydration stations have been installed at all four of HACLA’s Watts public housing sites as tap water testing has begun and will continue in the coming weeks. In-person and virtual town hall meetings have taken place with public housing residents and HACLA will continue to diligently address any potential water quality concerns throughout this process," wrote HACLA in a statement to NBC4.
The housing authority detailed figures for its findings.
"As of Monday, Nov.18, test results for 1,261 units, or 67%, have been received. Of those, 99% are below 5 ppb, with 60% at non-detect," HACLA said in a statement. "The 90th percentile is between 0.7 ppb and 1.9 ppb depending on the site, well below all regulatory action or reporting standards. Of the 1,261 samples, five had results over 15 ppb and 12 had results between 5 to 14 ppb; however, upon confirmation testing, seven came back as non-detect or below 5 ppb, often due to sampling issues. Confirmation testing for the others is pending.”
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power says they are providing free home water testing for people who live in Watts. Customers can also call a hotline to request testing.
