CITY HALL — "It can't happen here."
That's the message from City Hall when asked whether the pipe corrosion that led to heightened lead levels found in the tap water in Flint, Mich., could take place in Chicago.
Gary Litherland, spokesman for the Department of Water Management, said while the city's water supply isn't impervious to every conceivable malfunction, Litherland said the city protects against the sort of pipe corrosion found in Flint.
"Basically, we do monitor the process," Litherland said Monday. "We monitor the water at every step of the way seven days a week."
Litherland added that the city adds phosphate to the water to protect against pipe corrosion.
"It's part of a very aggressive corrosion-control program that we have," he said. "It prevents the water from actually coming in contact with either the lead service line [leading into a building] or any of the actual metal in the system."
Litherland added that suspicious residents can request their water be checked at the tap by the city through a 311 call or by filing a request online through cityofchicago.org.
"If somebody feels they need to have their water tested, we will test the water for them," Litherland said.
In the wake of the poisoned water found in the Flint water supply after it shifted to local river water, water safety has become a concern to Chicago residents like David Wojcik, of Portage Park.
"Like many Chicago residents, I have a lead service line from the water main into my house," Wojcik said. "With two young children in the house, I frequently wonder about possible lead leaching into our water.
"Sure I get the quarterly water analysis report from the Department of Water, but those samples are taken directly from the water plants and not from the residential tap," he added. "We filter all our water, but I believe the standard carbon water filters do not catch lead. Maybe Chicago's corrosion additive is doing its job, maybe not."
City officials insisted the additive was working.
"We're constantly monitoring the water — not just for lead, but for anything that could be a potential hazard to the public," Litherland said. "If that should ever arise, we would immediately let the public know, and that's the most important thing."
Michigan officials were later criticized for a slow response and letting the problem fester after lead was initially reported in the city's water supply.
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