Water quality report: Lead not an issue in JEA water

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — With the Flint, Michigan water crisis causing panic all across the country, Action News Jax wanted to make sure the water in Jacksonville is safe.

Action News Jax got an exclusive tour around JEA's water facility and took a look at a recent water quality report. JEA said its system couldn't be any more different from Flint's.

The Flint water crisis seemingly gets worse by the day. The city switched from Detroit water to the Flint River to save money in 2014, but the untreated river water caused lead to come off the pipes and into people's drinking water.

That's especially dangerous for children six and under; ingesting lead can cause learning problems and hyperactivity. On Monday, we toured JEA's facility to take a closer look at Jacksonville's drinking water.

"We're very lucky here in Northeast Florida. We get all of our water, it's ground water, about 600 to 1,000 feet below the ground is a floored-in aquifer," said Kevin Holbrooks, JEA Director of Laboratory Services.

From that well, it goes into reservoir tanks, out of pumps and into your home.

"It's a very clean, pristine source of water," Holbrooks said.

But, there are other ways to ingest lead.

"The main concern, while we're hearing a lot about water, and the media often talks a lot about toys, the main concern is in your house," said Dr. Jody Nicholson, a developmental psychologist.

Nicholson said Jacksonville is a safe city, but lead dust can form in your home, especially around windows or door frames. So if your home was built before 1980, you may want to get it inspected by the department of health for some piece of mind.

According to the water quality report from 2014, the most recent year these numbers are available, lead is just not an issue for the area. Click here to read this report.

JEA said it has received a few inquiries from some customers about water quality this year, but each time the water has been tested and deemed OK.

Cox Media Group