Residents of downtown’s historic McConnell Building have been provided bottled water since last week. Via the Moscow-Pullman Daily News:
Residents of the historic McConnell Building in downtown Moscow have been consuming bottled water since last week after elevated levels of lead and copper were discovered in some of the residents’ tap water.
Emsi CEO Andrew Crapuchettes purchased the building — where Mingles Bar and Grill is located on the corner of Main and First streets — in May.
As part of the process of getting to know the structure, water samples were taken throughout the building for testing, according to letters posted inside the building from Kestrel Property Management, which manages the structure.
The letters state the results determined the mineral levels were high on the building’s third floor and it recommends not using the water to drink or cook until the problem has been resolved.The building was built in 1891 and the pipes are old, so there is no telling how long the levels have been high, said Mike Church, owner of KPM in Moscow.
He said Idaho Ice, a local bottled water supplier, immediately provided water to residents of all 34 apartments — even those that did not test high in copper and lead — and will continue to do so until the situation is resolved.
Church said the exact problem has yet to be identified, but it appears the old pipes are the culprits, so they may need to be replaced. It is unknown when residents will be able to safely drink the tap water.