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AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (WRGB) – It’s a city in dire financial straights. But now there’s some hope.
A new state grant could help kick start replacement of lead pipes that lead to homes, including homes on a street CBS 6 has covered extensively. Mayor Michael Villa provided CBS 6 a picture of a letter from the state Department of Health. It says the city of Amsterdam will be given just under $522,000 to replace lead service pipes that deliver water to homes. While this money will be used throughout the city, the Mayor says Church Street will be included. More than four years after a public health emergency was declared due to lead contamination of drinking water in Flint, MI, communities across the country continue to battle lead service lines (LSLs). In New York, a multimillion-dollar program may help put an end to that struggle.
“Eighteen communities around New York state are splitting $10 million in new state funding for the replacement of old drinking water lines that may contain lead,” according to a report from AP News. “The effort to replace lead pipes is part of a broad $2.5 billion program approved by lawmakers to improve drinking water systems around the state.” There have been different approaches to combating the lead contamination problem in the U.S., including concerted treatment efforts at drinking water plants that add corrosion protection. But ultimately, the only way to truly solve the problem is to replace lead-leaching pipelines. New York has already awarded $20 million for replacement costs as part of its larger $2.5 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act from 2017. Environmental Defense Fund
As we have explained in past blogs, it is critical that states have rough estimates of how many lead service lines (LSLs) each drinking water utility in the state may have in order to develop sound policy decisions and set priorities. Congress recognized the importance of LSL inventories when it directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 to develop a national count of LSLs on public and private property in the next round of the 2020 Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey. States have a crucial supporting role in the Needs Survey since it is the basis of allocating State Revolving Loan Funds to the states. This month, the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) released a useful guidance document to help states develop LSL inventories. The guidance builds on the lessons learned from:
City of Hornell to receive $528,750
HORNELL — Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced that $10 million will be awarded to 18 municipalities statewide to continue the state’s initiative to replace residential drinking water lead service lines through the New York State Department of Health’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program. Among them is the City of Hornell, which is receiving $528,750. Hornell and the City of Norwich were the award winners in the Southern Tier region. “New York has invested unprecedented funding to protect drinking water quality including critical infrastructure projects that are underway across the state,” Governor Cuomo said. “This next round of funding advances our commitment to helping municipalities upgrade outdated systems, helping improve health and keep our communities thriving.” KINGSTON, N.Y. — The city's Office of Economic and Community Development will collect information from Kingston residents who believe they may have supply-side lead water pipes connected to their homes so those individuals can be placed on a waiting list for replacements.
Through an initial form, city staff will determine eligibility for replacement by making site visits to visually identify lead service pipes. Once the tie-in pipes have been determined to have lead, they will be placed on a waiting list for replacement. The form must be completed by 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16. The city's drinking water does not contain lead, but the corrosion of lead pipes and lead solder in a home can cause lead to leach into drinking water. Based on historical documentation and service line installation dates, the city Water Department estimates 59 percent of existing Kingston water service lines may contain lead. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates 10 to 20 percent of the lead exposure in young children may come from drinking water. The Daily News Online
PERRY — More than $550,000 in state funding will help the village replace lead water lines. The lead components are mostly found in older water connections leading to residences, said Village Administrator Matt Jensen on Monday. The $554,112 will help the village locate the components and replace them proactively. “The program is set up to help us identify where the lead components might be and to make the necessary replacements as we identify areas,” Jensen said. “It’s not an issue we see with lead in our water as far as testing, but we do know we have some connections with lead in there.” WATERVLIET, N.Y. — Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that $10 million will be awarded to 18 municipalities statewide, including the city of Watervliet, to continue the state's initiative to replace residential drinking water lead service lines through the New York State Department of Health's Lead Service Line Replacement Program.
The successful program has already awarded $20 million to communities to help offset replacement costs and is a key component of New York's $2.5 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017. OSWEGO - The city of Oswego is receiving $534,907 in state money to replace residential drinking water lead service lines.
Oswego is one of 18 municipalities statewide to share in $10 million as part of the state Health Department’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program. This program has already awarded $20 million to communities to help offset replacement costs and is a key component of New York’s $2.5 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017. “We’ve invested millions of dollars in our infrastructure in the last three years,” said Mayor William Barlow Jr. on Facebook. “Now, we have funding to address lead in our water lines, continue to upgrade our infrastructure and improve the health of our community.” See the full article online.
Denver Post Denver Water will propose the removal of lead service pipes from homes across the metro area — an action rarely seen in the United States and one that could cost roughly $500 million and take 15 years. “Cost is not an issue. Public health is the issue,” Denver Water CEO Jim Lochhead said in an interview Monday morning. The utility estimates that 50,000 to 90,000 homes still have lead pipes connecting their homes to water mains. The metal has been linked to developmental disabilities and other long-term health consequences, though Denver Water already has taken steps to minimize the risk. “The water we’re delivering is safe. This is really a matter of the plumbing,” Lochhead said. Lead from corroded pipes can enter the water as it goes into homes. Denver Water has for years adjusted the chemistry of its water to prevent lead from leaching from the residential pipes. In 2012, the utility’s ongoing testing detected lead in a few homes that exceeded federal limits. Read the full article.
WLNS.com Since the 2015 water crisis in Flint, hundreds of places across the United States are becoming more proactive about replacing lead pipe lines. In the U.S. up to 20% of a person’s exposure to lead can come from tap water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. An estimated 4 million U.S. households have children who are exposed to high levels of lead, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A big contributor to that risk is lead water service pipes which can leach into the water, according to the American Public Health Association. Up to 10 million U.S. homes are served by lead service lines, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. |
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September 2019
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