TOLEDO, Ohio — The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said recent reports from a local newspaper led it to test water in Luckey and Pemberville, which officials say is safe to drink.
The reports came from The Toledo Blade, which stated it was believed that the water had been contaminated with radioactive material as the former beryllium production facility in Luckey undergoes remediation.
This led the Ohio EPA to complete an independent analysis. It collected nine drinking water samples from areas in and around Luckey, including locations tested by The Toledo Blade. The samples conducted by GEL Laboratories in Charleston, S.C., performed an analysis searching for 32 contaminants. Overall, the samples showed no high levels of radioactive materials or other contamination, the Ohio EPA said.
The Ohio EPA said there were naturally occurring radioactive materials that did appear at levels far less than what was is considered unsafe. There were no findings of bismuth-214, cobalt-60 or beryllium in the water samples, Ohio EPA said.
“We have full confidence that the water from public water systems in Luckey and Pemberville is safe to drink,” said Ohio EPA Director John Logue. “When The Toledo Blade questioned the safety of the drinking water, we wanted to make sure we were doing everything we could to determine if there was reason for concern. These testing results offer peace of mind for those who live in Luckey and surrounding areas.”
While the Ohio EPA regulates public drinking water systems, the Ohio Department of Health regulates private drinking water systems. The next step is for the Ohio Department of Health to proceed with sampling and testing a subset of private water systems in the area. Officials will begin contacting a select number of private well owners in the coming days to get some samples.
“We are pleased to see that Ohio EPA’s sampling and analysis indicate that the drinking water in the Luckey area does not pose a public-health hazard,” said Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff. “Because the area’s private water systems pull water from the same source as the public water systems, we can reasonably expect that the private well water is of the same quality. Nevertheless, we will proceed with targeted testing of private water systems out of an abundance of caution.”
To find complete sampling results from the Ohio EPA, click here.