National League of Cities and the Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative

Watch the recording here. 

Join NLC and the Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative (LSLRC) as we host our third tele-town hall for local officials to dig deeper into the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) revision to the Lead and Copper Rule published in the Federal Register January 15, 2021.

Participants will learn about rule requirements, share best practices among peers, learn about funding and financing opportunities for lead service line replacement, ask questions of experts and obtain other critical information necessary to set your city on the path toward compliance. This tele-town hall is part three of a series of tele-town hall events intended to inform local leaders and water utility operators on the implications, requirements and opportunities associated with these rule revisions.

Watch the webinar.

Description
Lead service line (LSL) replacement is not a simple task. The LSL Replacement Collaborative has developed an online toolkit to help communities across the United States develop and implement replacement programs and is hosting a series of webinars to address specific topics related to this work.

This webinar in the Collaborative's series will explore examples of how water systems have worked to engage communities in the development of their LSL replacement plans and in communicating plans to consumers.

​Water systems and community group representatives from Newark, New Jersey and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania will share examples of how each city gathered community input in the formation of their LSL replacement programs. Each will also speak to the strategies they’re using to communicate about LSL replacement to the public, particularly to reach disadvantaged communities, including partnering with community groups.

Speakers

• Sandy Kutzing, CDM Smith
• Kim Gaddy, Clean Water Action/Clean Water Fund in New Jersey
• Will Pickering, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority
• Steve Hvozdovich, Clean Water Action/Clean Water Fund in Pennsylvania

Moderators:

• Lynn Thorp, Clean Water Action
• Steve Via, American Water Works Association

Webinar Resources

• Webinar recording.
  
• Download the slides from Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority
  
• Download the slides from CDM Smith

Description
A guiding principle of the LSL Replacement Collaborative is that LSL replacement initiatives should address barriers to participation so that consumers served by LSLs can benefit equitably, regardless of income, race, or ethnicity. In this webinar, we will hear about efforts to quantify and define equity issues and about solutions to address them.
​
Speakers and Topics:

• Karen Baehler with American University and Maureen Schmelling with DC Water will present findings and recommendations from the March 2020 report “Lead Pipes and Environmental Justice: A Study of Lead Pipe Replacement in Washington DC” and actions DC Water is taking to address these issues
• Alexis Woodrow with Denver Water will share Denver’s efforts to prioritize vulnerable populations and the city’s approach to other equity issues in development of its Lead Reduction Program

Moderator:

• Nse Witherspoon, Children’s Environmental Health Network

Watch the webinar.

Download the slides from DC and Denver. 

Description
A continuum of steps is often discussed for minimizing lead release during lead service line replacement. Provision of a point of use (POU) filter certified to remove lead as per NSF 53 is one of these steps. In this context it is important to understand the effectiveness of filters.

This webinar provides:

• Information about the NSF standard and tests for lead reduction; other NSF requirements, such as material safety and structural integrity; and NSF’s policies and practices for retests and for maintenance of the standard.
• Results of a recent study examining the efficacy of eleven POU lead pitcher and faucet filters under extreme corrosion conditions.

Moderator:

• Gail Bingham, President Emeritus, RESOLVE

​Speakers:

• Stefan Buck, General Manager Global Drinking Water Treatment Unit, NSF
• Marc Edwards, University Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering, Virginia Tech
• Jeannie M. Purchase, PhD student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech

Watch the webinar. 

Download slides from NSF and Virginia Tech. 

Description:
This webinar in the Collaborative's series explores replacing LSLs in early learning environments.

Children under the age of six are most at risk from the harmful effects of lead exposure due to their developing brains. As children spend a large portion of their day in early learning environments, such as child care facilities or schools, it is vital to ensure the safety of the drinking water in these facilities.

This webinar is the seventh in the LSL Replacement Collaborative's series, and will explore how to address lead in early learning environments, with an emphasis on lead service lines. Speakers will provide:

• An overview of lead in water in child care and schools;
• A case study from Milwaukee;
• A case study from Cincinnati; and
• The perspective from a leading national child care organization.

Moderator:

• Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, Executive Director, Children’s Environmental Health Network

Speakers:

• Karen Dettmer, P.E., Superintendent, Milwaukee Water Works
• Jim Nelson, School & Community Testing Liaison, Greater Cincinnati Water Works
• Krista Scott, Senior Director, Health, Child Care Aware of America

​Watch the webinar recording. 
​
​Download the slides.