After Flint, St. Petersburg mulls more tests for lead in water supply

ST. PETERSBURG — Despite assurances from St. Petersburg's top water official that the city's drinking supply is safe, City Council members said Thursday that more testing should be done to ease the minds of worried residents.

The specter of lead contamination in Flint, Mich. — which has raised concerns nationally about the overall quality in drinking water — haunted a 23-minute presentation by Water Resources director Steve Leavitt.

Closer to home, a small band of residents who live near Sawgrass Lake and the Skyway Gun Club have claimed that lead from the gun club's bullets poses a threat to the city's water supply because a water main runs through the club's drop zone.

There is no evidence to back up those claims, Leavitt said. Test results near the gun club and random samples taken throughout the city showed levels that were considered acceptable by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Leavitt said.

Referencing the Flint scandal, Leavitt said he welcomed the opportunity to "reassure" St. Petersburg that the city has nothing to fear about lead poisoning its water supply.

"Our water is safe," Leavitt said. "Safe for children, safe for adults."