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Environmental Defense Fund
See the full blog here. We recently finished a round of updates to our webpages recognizing states and communities leading the way in efforts to accelerate lead service line (LSL) replacement across the country. As we start the New Year, we wanted to summarize the good news from 2018 and highlight some opportunities for more success. Ninety-five communities are leading the way on LSL replacement programs:[1]
Lansing State Journal
See the full article here. Do you own or rent one of the tens of thousands of homes in the Lansing area built before 1950 or a newer one you think could have lead water service lines? You'll soon be able to say goodbye to your lead service lines. And your water utility will foot the bill. State rule changes from earlier this year require local utilities to replace all lead and galvanized water service lines between the publicly-owned water main and a resident's water meter by 2040 at an average replacement rate of 5% per year. Before 1950, many service lines — the small pipes that connect homes and businesses to the larger water mains under the street — were made of lead, which can leach off the pipe and into the water, potentially poisoning users. Galvanized pipes, or steel pipes dipped in a protective coating, also were common and can leak lead from the zinc coating and other harmful chemicals, as decades of water exposure cause corrosion and rust. Water Conditioning and Purification Magazine
See the full article online. By Kim Redden, MWS, MPH, Eric Yeggy, MWS and Kelly A. Reynolds, MSPH, PhD There are several water quality issues that are uniquely suited to a POU or POE solution. The Water Quality Association (WQA) discusses these issues at the WQA Annual Convention and over the past decades, the Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF) has been funding research to further advance our understanding of these issues. This article focuses on one of those issues, namely the ongoing efforts to get lead out of our drinking water. The Recorder
See the full article online. Dozens of lead service lines connecting Amsterdam homes to the city’s water are expected to be replaced over the next few years through tapping state funds. Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara announced Friday that Amsterdam would receive up to $500,000 through the state’s Lead Replacement Program to replace residential lead service lines. The city will be fully reimbursed for costs associated with replacing the lines, including restoration of public and private property after pipes are installed, according to Santabarbara. He said the city qualified for funding after elevated leads were discovered earlier this year. Amsterdam has identified approximately 60 lead service lines in need of replacement to date, which is estimated to cost $5,000 to $10,000 per line due to varying site conditions and pipe lengths, according to Santabarbara. He said the replacement project is slated to start in the spring and is planned to be completed by the end of 2021. “It is a significant step in the right direction to addressing the elevated lead levels,” Santabarbara said. “Hopefully this round can at least address the lines that they’ve identified so far. It’s going to take a while, but the fact that they’re getting started next year is good news for the city.” Amsterdam Water Treatment Chief Plant Operator Randy Gardinier in an interview Wednesday said nine of the 60 samples collected from city homes in September were discovered to be above the regulatory limit, or maximum contaminant level (MCL), of 15 parts per billion. The percentage of samples exceeding the MCL triggered an action level violation, which requires measures to be taken to address the issue. Chelsea Record
See the full article online here. Lead pipes are often a hidden danger under the streets and sidewalks for a lot of families in Chelsea, but if the City can help it, that danger will be removed one pipe at a time. On Monday, the MWRA and the Clean Water Action Group awarded the City of Chelsea and GreenRoots for their early adoption of a program that removes, at no cost to the homeowner, lead water service lines while in the process of other infrastructure projects. Part of that award included a $100,000 grant to help continue the program and remove more lead water lines as the City encounters them during paving or sidewalk repair programs. City Manager Tom Ambrosino said it is a common sense operation, but one that goes the extra step in replacing the line for free – as it usually is the responsibility of the homeowner to pay for the replacement. Water Online
See the full article online here. DC Water today announced plans to work closely with the District government to implement a new lead service replacement program that offers free and discounted replacements of lead water service pipes on private property for thousands of homes across the city. This program will be implemented once it is funded by the District, which is anticipated in October 2019. The new program, approved by the D.C. Council late Tuesday and headed to Mayor Muriel Bowser for her signature, establishes a city-funded program to encourage the removal of lead service lines located on private property — the small diameter pipes that bring water from the water main into homes. Tucson News Now
See the full article online. It was devastating for Flint, MI - lead in the water nearly seven times greater than the EPA limit in 2015. Years later here at home, Tucson Water has been working to prevent that from happening to customers in their service area. “The safest approach is to eliminate the lead from the distribution system,” Tucson Water’s Fernando Molina said. In 2017 Tucson Water started its “Get the Lead Out” program, aimed at preventing lead exposure by removing lead service lines in the service area. The plan was to remove those service lines by the end of 2018. Public Health Newswire APHA Annual Meetings News See the original article online. Drinking water contamination was the focus of a Tuesday morning Annual Meeting session, where panelists from Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative addressed the health risks of lead service lines that connect buildings to water mains under the street. Lead can enter drinking water when pipes and plumbing fixtures corrode. Young children, infants and fetuses are especially vulnerable to the pollutant, a neurotoxin that can impact all organ systems and contribute to cognitive impairment, behavioral problems and lowered IQ. Moderating the “Drinking Water and Lead Service Lines: Partnering to Protect Public Health” session was Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, executive director of the Children’s Environmental Health Network, who told attendees: “We have to reduce the exposure to lead in drinking water, and that begins with replacing the nation’s lead service lines — 6 to 10 million of them bringing water to taps across the U.S. It’s a tall order, but it has to be done to protect the health of our children.” Dayton Daily News
See the full article online. The city of Dayton says it will notify property owners when it is working on water infrastructure that may include lead service lines. The city says it will comply with new state regulations that require it send residents and business owners a 45-day notice when working on projects that may affect lead service lines. Property owners who may have lead water service lines in a planned project area will receive the notices as well as “resource packets,” the city said. Water Quality Products
See the full article online The state now requires water systems to notify residents and provide filters for lead service line replacement The Ohio EPA released new regulations regarding how Ohio public water systems must alert residents and businesses when lead services lines are being replaced, according to Dayton Daily News. Under the new rule, every public water system in Ohio must notify residents or business owners 45 days before working on lead service lines. Additionally, water systems are now required to provide filters to residents for up to three months after work is complete. The new rules comes as cities across Ohio are working to replace lead service lines and amid debate over partial versus full lead service line replacement. |
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January 2019
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