Hibbing utility alerts residents after lead action level exceedance; officials outline testing and replacement plan

Hibbing Public Utilities announced this week that testing required under the Safe Drinking Water Act produced a lead action level exceedance for the city’s drinking water system, prompting additional testing, public outreach and a push to identify and replace lead service lines.

Hannah Mendez, a compliance engineer with the Minnesota Department of Health’s Drinking Water Protection Section, told the Hibbing Public Utilities Commission on Oct. 28 that Hibbing collected 29 lead samples between June and September and that six of those samples were above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency action level, resulting in a 90th‑percentile exceedance. “It does not mean that every tap in the community that is used for drinking water has elevated levels of lead,” Mendez said, but she added the exceedance requires the utility to investigate causes, notify residents and take actions to reduce lead exposure.

The exceedance triggered several immediate steps, Mendez said: the utility must provide public notice (which HPU has done within 24 hours of receiving results), conduct additional sampling including testing source water, evaluate corrosion‑control treatment at the plant and expand public education. “Homes and buildings that do not have lead service lines or lead plumbing components are less likely to have…