The Ohio EPA is blaming the Village of Sebring for failing to notify water department customers about tests showing high levels of lead found in water samples tested months ago but the village manager said they didn't know to sound the alarm until Thursday.

State EPA officials reacted Friday afternoon after two Valley lawmakers said they want to know why it took the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency five months to notify people in the Sebring and Beloit area that the water they have been drinking may have elevated levels of lead.

State Senator Joe Schiavoni of Boardman and State Representative John Boccieri of Poland said they learned during a Friday conference call with the EPA that water sampled in Sebring this past August contained elevated levels of lead.

In a letter to Ohio EPA Director Craig Butler, the legislators asked why it took until Thursday for members of the public to find out about the results of those tests, possibly exposing residents to unknowingly drinking water that poses threats to their health.

They want verification that the EPA knew the results in October.

"If I'm giving my pregnant wife a glass of water every single night for those five months and then I find out today that there's lead in the water, I'm angry about that and not only am I angry but I'm scared about that," said Schiavoni.

In a statement released Friday afternoon, a spokesperson from the EPA wrote, "We agree that it took too long for the village of Sebring to alert their customers. When it became clear they weren’t taking the corrective action necessary in a timely manner, we issued a notice of violation to force them to take action."

An advisory on the EPA's web site is dated December 3.

The EPA says the village has a good water system, but must take steps to stop the corrosion causing some residents to see higher than allowed levels of lead.

Sebring Village Manager Richard Giroux notified the local news media Thursday night that the village was asking pregnant women and children to refrain from drinking water supplied by the village because tests results from seven homes showed lead levels above acceptable levels.

Friday evening Giroux said "To say that we had been aware of the lead issue for quite some time and that we failed to notice and that they had to force us to take action, I think is well to be honest with you I think it's bologna."

Giroux said that his office was notified last week, then Thursday morning the EPA told him to notify the public but the plant superintendent was reviewing the situation. Giroux did not say how long the plant superintendent has been looking into it.

Giroux commented that "We were under the understanding that it was a minor anomaly, didn't realize it was a major issue at that time and that notifications were necessary."

"As soon as we were aware of the severity, notices went out immediately," said Giroux.

Emergency management officials are offering free bottled water at the Sebring Community Center on Texas Avenue while further water testing is being conducted.

Schiavoni and Boccieri submitted sixteen questions to the EPA addressing concerns about current water testing and notification policies.

Sebring Village supplies water to 8,100 homes and businesses in Sebring, Beloit and Maple Ridge.

In the end, lawmakers hope this situation will lead to more funding to replace lead pipes.

"This whole situation and scenario here, while we have a robust community effort, just makes me so angry and agitated that we're building wastewater treatment facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, we're building waste and water treatment facilities all over the globe and we still have great need here in America," said Boccieri