Message to Campus Regarding Water Testing

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

Concerns about levels of lead in drinking water have become an issue
nationwide. Recent local news accounts also reported on concerns raised
regarding lead levels in water in the Lehigh Valley.

Although recent testing completed by the City of Bethlehem indicates that
lead levels are well below the standards set by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) for safety, we believe it is prudent for Lehigh to
test the water on campus.

For more information on the City of Bethlehem water source and results of
annual testing, please go to http://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/water/

Tomorrow morning (April 1, 2016), we will begin the process of collecting water samples in
both residential and academic buildings, as well as in graduate student
housing in Saucon Village. The water samples will be collected in
accordance with EPA testing protocols and will be sent to M. J. Reider
Associates, Inc., of Reading, an independent diagnostic lab that is one of
only two labs certified by the Pennsylvania State Department of
Environmental Protection.

Results, which should be available in several days, will be shared with the
campus community, along with information about any further steps.

Additional information about testing guidelines as outlined by the EPA, or
about the general issue of lead in drinking water, can be found on the
website of Lehigh's Department of Environmental Health and Safety at
http://www.lehigh.edu/~inehs/.

Sincerely,

Dr. Barb Plohocki
Director of Environmental Health and Safety