Davidson Water customers should be aware that their water may contain high lead levels, the Davidson County Health Department said Wednesday morning.

The nonprofit corporation, which serves 55,000 connections and about 135,000 people in Davidson, Forsyth and Randolph counties, has been using new water treatment chemicals that could potentially cause corrosion in metal water pipes, in turn causing lead to seep into the water delivered to customers.

The corporations water source is the Yadkin River, which Davidson Water General Manager Greg Stabler said had tested clean for acceptable lead levels, as has Davidson Waters main service line. The EPA defines an acceptable level as 15 parts per billion.

Stabler said ferrichloride, a coagulate the corporation has used in its water since 2002, is the suspected cause of the corrosion. Despite its presence, lead tests in 2004 were clean.

After lead was found in nine separate water samples at West Davidson High School in March, Davidson Water revisited the coagulate as a possible cause, increasing the levels of anti-corrosive treatments to combat the effects of the ferrichloride.

It looks like that has helped some, but we still dont know if were where we need to be, Stabler said.

Davidson Water has a history of compliance with lead standards, Stabler said. For that reason, the corporation is only required to test for lead every three years.

The coagulate was originally introduced into the system to help Davidson meet federal Environmental Protection Agency quality standards. Davidson Water has hired the Jordan, Jones & Goulding engineering firm to help it determine an alternate treatment that would lower corrosive levels and still meet EPA standards. That firm is expected to share its findings with Davidson Water by the middle of next week, Stabler said. The corporation will submit to its regularly scheduled EPA lead testing in August.

Because the level of seepage is dictated by how the coagulate interacts with individual plumbing throughout the Davidson Water service area, any home or business served by the corporation is advised to take the following precautions:

The county health department is advising Davidson Water customers to use only cold water for cooking and drinking, since hot water can dissolve lead more quickly. Accordingly, boiling water could potentially increase lead levels.

Officials also recommend allowing water to run from the faucet before drinking it. If it has been six hours or more since you last used the water in your home or business, run cold water for two to four minutes before using it for drinking or cooking purposes. If it has been less than six hours, run a cold faucet for one minute before using the water.

Stabler said even in homes that test above acceptable lead levels, that method will render water safe and potable. He said it is always recommended to allow faucets to run for at least 30 seconds prior to use, to ensure the best quality of drinking water.

Additionally, officials recommend removing the aerator or strainer on your faucet regularly to clean with soap and water.

These precautions are especially important for homes or businesses with children younger than 6 years old, women who are pregnant or nursing, or women planning to become pregnant. Young and unborn children are most susceptible to brain damage from lead.

The health department will provide free water testing kits to pregnant or nursing Davidson Water customers, as well as caretakers of children under 6 years old.

Were emphasizing the importance of those groups, because they are the only ones who have any significant risk of exposure, said Davidson County Health Director Layton Long. An adult absorbs only 20 percent of the lead they intake, but a child will absorb 70 percent.

The county environmental health office had already received 15 to 20 calls by 3 p.m. Wednesday, he estimated, though he anticipated that number would rise in the coming days as the news reaches Davidson Water customers.

Roger Spach, water resources director for the City of Lexington, said Wednesday that the city also uses ferrichloride in the newer of its two plants for disinfection and byproduct reduction but employs it in smaller quantities than Davidson Water. The citys water system was inspected last year and was found to be in compliance with EPA standards.

According to a health department press release, lead can be found in most plumbing fixtures and soldering used for copper pipes. Stabler said copper pipes with lead soldering are most common in homes built before 1986, though it is still possible fixtures in newer homes could contain those elements.

Customers who find evidence of lead-contaminated water in their homes or businesses should contact their doctor or the health department at 242-2375 or 242-2850 for information on blood testing to determine if lead exposure has taken place.

So far, no area health department has been notified of a child in Davidson Waters service area with lead poisoning.