Last week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal to strengthen its Lead and Copper Rule that would require water systems across the country to replace all lead service lines within 10 years. EPA is also proposing lowering the lead action level down to 10 ppb and improving sampling protocols utilized by water systems.
EPA estimates that there are 9.2 million lead service lines.
This proposal is expected to cost
between $45 billion and $60 billion. There is no funding associated with this
proposed change in the Lead and Copper Rule (though the Bi-Partisan
Infrastructure bill has $15 billion for lead removal). Water utilities and
citizens will have to figure out how to pay for this mandate. Typically, these
service lines are owned by both the water utility and the property owner. It is
common that utilities only own the portion of the service line until it reaches
the property line. However, there are many places like Fairfax where the
service line is entirely owned by the property owner it serves. When Washington DC replaced many of their service lines they only replaced the portion that the utility owned leaving the portion of the lead service line owned by the property in place. This often resulted in increased lead exposure from the disturbed line. The proposed rule requires replacement of the entire lead service line.
This is an important regulation because lead can cause
damage to the brain and kidneys, and can interfere with the production of red
blood cells that carry oxygen to all parts of your body. The greatest risk of
lead exposure is to infants, young children, and pregnant women. Scientists
have linked the effects of lead on the brain with lowered IQ in children. I am
amongst the many scientist who believe there is no safe level of lead exposure.
If your home was built before 1990 the only way to know if you have lead in
your drinking water is to test.
The U. S. EPA limit for lead in drinking water is currently 15 parts per
billion (ppb), but only requires action if limited sample monitoring for lead
has exceeded the 15 ppb action level in more than 10% of the homes tested.
Cities are only required to test a very small number of homes monthly and the
condition and age of the plumbing in the home really determines if lead levels
will be elevated.
Lead in drinking water is a national problem mostly
associated with older urban areas. Lead
in drinking water predominately coms from the pipes. Lead does not exist in
most groundwater, rivers and lakes- the source water for most municipal and
private water supplies. Instead, lead in drinking water is picked up from the
pipes on its journey into a home.
In the early years of public water supply the water service
lines delivering water from the water main in the street into each home were
commonly made of lead. This practice began to fade by the 1950’s but was legal
until 1988. Lead was also used to solder copper pipes together before 1988 (when
the 1986 ban on lead in paint and solder went into effect). Also, until very
recently (2011 Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act) almost all drinking
water fixtures were made from brass containing up to 8% lead, even if they were
sold as "lead-free." So even homes built with PVC piping in the
2000’s may have some lead in most of the faucets.
Elevated lead levels can also be a problem for well owners. Lead
leaches into the water primarily as a result of corrosion of plumbing and well
components. Brass fittings and adaptors usually contains lead levels of 8% or
less, but this can still dissolve lead into the water, especially during the
first few months of use or in a corrosive water environment. Older submersible pumps had brass components which are a source of lead. Corrosion control
techniques such as adjusting pH or alkalinity that are commonly used in public
systems are not common in private wells where the decision to install and
maintain treatment is solely the prerogative and responsibility of the
homeowner. As a result, though 26% of the private wells tested in the Virginia Rural Household Water Quality program
had pH outside the neutral range of 6.5-8.5 , only 5% of private well systems
had acid neutralizers installed to control pH and corrosion within the home and
3% had reverse osmosis units that could remove lead among other contaminants. Lead
in drinking water is picked up from the pipes and plumbing fixtures on its
journey into a home.
The strengthening of the Lead and Copper rule will address
many of these risks and appears to be an
improvement that will better protect our inner city communities that are most
impacted by lead in drinking water. All lead service lines should be replaced.
Those of us on public water need to push to have all lead service lines in our
communities replaced. Addressing sources or lead in the home (old copper pipes
with lead solder, faucets predating 2014 and the problem of lead in down well
equipment will remain the problem of the homeowner.
No comments:
Post a Comment