Miami Valley Hospital has revealed the source of the lead contamination that has been plaguing its water system since mid-June.
The hospital’s leadership team says the contamination was caused by a nearby construction project. A major water line that feeds part of campus was located near Warren and Brown streets, the site of ongoing road construction work. Officials think sediment from the project got into the line and contaminated the water.
City engineers redirected the hospital’s water source away from the construction and flushed the system to remove contamination. On Thursday, the hospital announced that 100% of the water supply met EPA safety requirements.
Mark Shaker, president of Miami Valley Hospital, says they’re taking to steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
“We’re working with the city on coming up with broad ways in which any street construction in and around our campus will be managed together, and primarily with high velocity flushing in and around the campus when road construction is occurring.”
The hospital provided bottled drinking water to patients and staff during the time of contamination. All 104 employees who were tested for elevated lead levels received negative results.
