Lead Action Level Exceedance Notice
DRINKING WATER WARNING
Sampling shows elevated lead levels in some homes and/or buildings.
ROMOLA WATER ASSOCIATION of Claiborne County, Mississippi found elevated levels of lead in drinking water in some homes/buildings. Romola Water Association may also have tested your home or building. If they did, you should receive, or may have already received, these results. These results are specific to your home/building and may be different from the results taken in other locations.
Lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Please read this information closely to see what you can do to reduce lead in your drinking water.
What is an Action Level?
The lead action level is a measure of the effectiveness of the corrosion control treatment in water systems. The action level is not a standard for establishing a safe level of lead in a home. To check whether corrosion control is working, the EPA requires water systems to test for lead at the tap in certain homes, including those with lead service lines. Systems compare sample results from homes to EPA's action level of 0.015 mg/L (15 ppb). If 10 percent of the samples from these homes have water concentrations that are greater than the action level, then the system must perform actions such as public education, adjusting treatment, and lead service line replacement.
What Happened?
In 2025, the Romola Water Association distributed lead and copper sampling kits to homeowners, with samples collected on September 29, 2025, and analyzed by the Mississippi Public Health Laboratory.
Out of 10 samples, 2 had lead levels above the EPA action level of 0.015 mg/L (15 ppb), meaning that 20% exceeded the limit. This does not mean that all drinking water is contaminated since lead levels can vary based on home plumbing, how long water sits in pipes, and how samples were collected, especially with homeowner participation that may not always follow exact protocols. Because more than 10% of samples exceeded the action level, The Water Association is required under the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule to take further action, including notifying all customers and improving corrosion control.
There is no safe level of lead in drinking water, so residents are encouraged to use certified filters, flush taps before use, and avoid using hot water for drinking or cooking.
Romola Water Association is focused on protecting the health of every household in its community. However, lead from service lines and lead plumbing and fixtures can dissolve or break off into water and end up at the faucet. ROMOLA WATER ASSOCIATION HAS NO LEAD SERVICE LINES.
Two of the homes sampled had results over the maximum contaminant level of lead or copper present. This does not mean that every property that receives drinking water from Romola Water Association has lead in its drinking water. It does mean that you should understand how to reduce your exposure to lead through water. Keep in mind that drinking water is not the only potential source of lead exposure, since lead can be found in air, soil and paint. For more information on all sources of lead, visit www.epa.gov/lead.
Health Effects of Lead
Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavior problems or exacerbate existing learning and behavior problems. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or during pregnancy can have increased risk of these adverse health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney, or nervous system problems.
Steps You Can Take to Reduce Your Exposure to Lead in Your Water
Below are recommended actions that you may take, separately or in combination, if you are concerned about lead in your drinking water. The list also includes sources for more information. This is not intended to be a complete list or to imply that all actions equally reduce lead from drinking water.
- Use your filter properly. Using a water filter can reduce lead in drinking water. If you use a filter, it should be certified to remove lead. Read any directions provided with the filter to learn how to properly install, maintain, and use your cartridge and when to replace it. Using the cartridge after it has expired can make it less effective at removing lead. Do not run hot water through the filter. For more information on facts and advice on home water filtration systems, visit the EPA's website at www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/home-drinking-water-filtration-fact-sheet and the EPA's Consumer Tool for Identifying Drinking Water Filters Certified to Reduce Lead.
- Clean your aerator. Regularly remove and clean your faucet's screen (also known as an aerator). Sediment, debris and lead particles can collect in your aerator. If lead particles are caught in the aerator, lead can get into your water.
- Use cold water. Do not use hot water from the tap for drinking, cooking or making baby formula since lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Boiling water does not remove lead from water.
- Run your water. The more time water has been sitting in your home's pipes, the more lead it may contain. Before drinking, flush your home's pipes by running the tap, taking a shower, doing laundry, or doing a load of dishes. The amount of time to run the water will depend on whether your home has a lead service line or not, as well as the length and diameter of the service line and the amount of plumbing in your home. Residents may contact the Romola Water Association at 601-437-4006 or send e-mail to ermapshaifer@hotmail.com for recommendations about flushing times in their community.
- Learn what your service line material is. Contact the Romola Water Association at 601-437-4006 or ermapshaifer@hotmail.com or a licensed plumber to determine whether the pipe that connects your home to the water main (called a service line) is made from lead, galvanized, or other materials.
- Learn about construction in your neighborhood. Contact the Romola Water Association at 601-437-4006 or ermapshaifer@hotmail.com to find out about any construction or maintenance work that could disturb your service line. Construction may cause more lead to be released from a lead service line if present.
- Have your water tested. Contact the Romola Water Association at 601-437-4006 or ermapshaifer@hotmail.com to have your water tested and to learn more about the lead levels in your drinking water.
- Have your child tested. A family doctor or pediatrician can perform a blood test for lead and provide information about the health effects of lead on your child. The Mississippi State Department of Health can also provide information about having your child's blood tested for lead; call the MSDH Lead Prevention Program at (601) 576-7447. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that public health actions be initiated when the level of lead in a child's blood is 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) or more. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water.
What Is Being Done?
Romola Water Association will be providing Corrosion Control Recommendations to the state in response to the ALE (Action Level Exceedance) to prevent future lead and copper exceedances.
Romola Water Association is taking the actions below required by Federal and/or State lead and copper regulations:
- In addition to the information mentioned above that the water association will provide to residents at locations that were sampled, additional public education will be distributed to all Romola Water Association customers by February 28, 2026. Public education is to be provided no later than 60 days after the end of the monitoring period.
- Romola Water Association is working to determine which corrosion control treatment strategy would be most effective in addressing this situation.
- Romola Water Association will begin monitoring lead and copper twice per year, once every 6 months, beginning in 2026. For more information, please contact Romola Water Association at 601-437-4006, or 3150 HWY 18 East #3 Port Gibson MS, 39150, or send e-mail to ermapshaifer@hotmail.com. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk from lead in drinking water are available from the EPA's website https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
This notice was prepared for the Romola Water Association located in Claiborne County MS, identified as Public Water System (PWS) ID# MS0110006.
Date/location: Posted on the Mississippi State Department of Health's official website msdh.ms.gov/ on October 29, 2025.
