Lead contamination restricts tap water use for 15,000 near Prague

Around 15,000 people in Odolena Voda and the surrounding area have been told not to use tap water for drinking or cooking after elevated levels of lead were detected in a local reservoir and multiple wells.

Central Bohemian Waterworks has filed a criminal complaint against an unknown perpetrator and contacted the Czech Environmental Inspectorate, technical director Bohdan Soukup said Friday.

The restrictions affect 5,133 water connections and could remain in place for several days. The utility says the overall supply is not at risk because contaminated wells are being replaced with water from a neighboring spring area.

Excessive lead levels were detected in 16 of 36 tested wells in the Řepínský důl area. Fourteen of those wells have been removed from service.

Odolena Voda has two water reservoirs, one of which was found to be contaminated and subsequently shut down. The utility is sampling the entire distribution network to determine how far the affected water has traveled.

“We’re mapping the spread, trying to switch to sources we know are not contaminated and preventing it from spreading further,” Soukup said.

The network is being rerouted based on the latest test results. Contaminated water already present in pipes must be flushed before the restrictions can be lifted.

The waterworks laboratory is operating at full capacity, company representatives said.

Utility CEO Jakub Hanzl said investigators found no evidence that anyone broke into the secured collection area or deliberately poured a substance directly into the wells.

The catchment stretches across two valleys and contains 41 secured wells. Given the size of the area, however, officials have not ruled out contamination entering the groundwater through another route.

Hanzl identified the nearby Kasova Rokle landfill as one possible source, although no direct link has been established.

“A short distance from our catchment sources is a landfill that is currently in a state where probably no one knows exactly what’s in it,” he said. “That is another possible source where the contamination could have occurred.”

The criminal complaint does not identify a suspect. Both police and environmental inspectors may now examine how the lead entered the water system and whether an offense was committed.

Officials cannot yet give a firm estimate for when residents will be able to drink tap water again.

“If the wells that are currently supplying safe water remain safe, then it’s a matter of days,” Hanzl said. If contamination appears in those sources as well, resolving the problem would take longer.

The waterworks has deployed 21 drinking-water tankers across the affected area, with dozens more expected to arrive. Residents should continue using tanker or bottled water for drinking and food preparation until authorities confirm that restrictions have ended.