In January of 2018, an NSF RAPID Project was launched to analyze the water quality in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. More than 40 local drinking water taps were sampled over three sampling campaigns. This reconnaissance systematically included a collection of samples from publicly owned treatment systems (PRASA), privately owned systems operated by communities (non-PRASA), and unmonitored surface spring sources (Spring). The first sampling campaign was targeted towards gaining a holistic perspective of the water quality (bulk water quality parameters, nutrients, major ions, pathogens, DNA, disinfection byproducts (DBPs), and metals concentrations). However, elevated lead levels in those initial results steered the following sampling events towards a more systematic lead and copper sampling protocol, guided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) compliance procedure.  The results from the 2<sup>nd</sup> and 3<sup>rd</sup> sampling campaigns showed high and low concentrations of lead, respectively, and therefore present the difficulty in acquiring consistent results based on sampling methods. Sampling location on the property, the volume of water collected, and reproducibility of conditions between sampling events all are factors that attribute to this difficulty and make the presence and extent of potential exposure difficult to interpret. This study compares lead and copper solubility chemistry and the relationship of aggressive water corrosion characteristics to the water quality in Puerto Rico distribution systems and presents the challenges with identifying corrosion issues in distribution systems.  Overall, the results of this study show that it is difficult to characterize the magnitude of corrosion issues in distribution systems. The water quality in Puerto Rico has aggressive water characteristics that can potentially produce elevated lead concentrations in potable water distribution systems, but sampling methods have a large impact on results and interpretation.

Challenges with lead and copper sampling: Case study in Puerto Rico

2019 Spring National Meeting

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