“Personally, I can’t believe that,” Brost said. “Not the way he runs things.”

Council members plan to launch an investigation into the issue, he said.

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No one at the meeting Monday night appeared comfortable with the mayor’s explanations or his continued position as a leader for the town’s public works.

“You are directly responsible for what your employees do, yet you are not qualified or certified to do that,” said Lingle, the former councilman. “Maybe instead of just resigning as mayor, get out of public works, and let the staff down there, who know what their jobs are, do their jobs, and you get back to being mayor.”

A spokesman for the EPA said Pinedale responded quickly to a warning in October to return the sodium silicate treatment to the water supply.

Recent sampling showed lead levels in more than 90 percent of the samples to be below the limit for action.

However, safe drinking water should have zero lead, according to the EPA. Meanwhile the town is struggling with its new, old, system.