© 2024 Ideastream Public Media

1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115
(216) 916-6100 | (877) 399-3307

WKSU is a public media service licensed to Kent State University and operated by Ideastream Public Media.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Sebring Water Investigation

Elevated levels of lead in drinking water are causing a health crisis and a political firestorm in Flint, Michigan. Now, a village in Ohio is dealing with a similar problem.

Classes were cancelled Friday, Monday, and Tuesday at Miller Elementary and McKinley Junior and Senior High in the Sebring, Ohio school district -- to allow for more tests. That's after elevated levels of lead and copper were found in the water of the Mahoning County village.

Sebring is located in the northeast part of the state, about midway between Youngstown and Canton.

The operator of the water treatment plant there is in 'hot water' now, facing a criminal investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA says while water from the Sebring treatment plant has no detectable lead, the operator failed to inform the public that high levels of lead and copper were found in some homes last summer.

The water at Sebring's plant is considered safe. Officials suspect lead could have been seeping into the water from old homes, which have lead pipes. The Ohio EPA puts the heat on the village of Sebring, requiring a plan to fix the lead pipes and a mandatory schedule for both lead alerts and further water tests.