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Rockford officials say lead testing of water is routine

USFWS Mountain Prairie
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Flickr/Creative Commons

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - Rockford will soon be testing its water for lead but officials say there are no indications of any problems like they have had in Flint, Michigan.
 

Interim Public Works Director Matt Vitner says the testing is routine. In fact, Vitner says because the water in Rockford has been lead-free for decades, the city is required to have its water tested just once every three years.

That's the least stringent testing that environmental regulators require.
Vitner says that tap water from 50 homes will be sampled this spring and summer. 

 
The high levels of lead in Flint's water supply after it started pumping water from the Flint River has raised concerns across the country. But Vitner says Rockford's lead-free water comes from underground wells.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.