Lead Service Lines: Protecting Your Water Services
Lead is a material that was once used in everything. As a natural element within the ground, it’s been used in cosmetics, gasoline, paint (famously used in novelty drinking glasses), manufacturing processes and plumbing lines. In fact, lead was used as far back as ancient times during the early years of plumbing, being more flexible and durable than iron pipes. However, there’s an issue with using lead: it’s toxic to humans and animals. Lead was determined to be a poisonous metal in the mid-1800’s that could cause health problems.
Adults exposed to lead can face headaches, reproductive problems, kidney issues, organ deterioration, cardiovascular issues and pregnancy complications. For children, lead can cause behavior and learning problems, lowered IQ, stunted growth, hearing issues and asthma. Lead from service lines can contaminate the water, releasing particles of lead as it flows through the pipe and entering the body through drinking water and food. Lead particles can also stick to the coating of galvanized steel pipes, inside faucets, and within pipe connections.
Despite knowing the health risks, lead wasn’t completely banned for the use in new water lines until 1986. However, that hasn’t stopped the existing lines from being used. There are an estimated 9 million lead service water lines still in use. New regulations have pushed for lead service lines to be inventoried, removed and replaced through billions of dollars of infrastructure spending. This involves determining the material of service lines, whether or not the pipe is made of lead. The EPA estimates that billions of dollars in healthcare costs can be saved as a result of replacing lead lines. These regulations involve replacing all lead service lines within the next ten years along with creating an initial inventory by October of 2024. How do you determine what service lines are made of lead and which lines are safe to drink from?
There are a few different methods used depending on where a pipe can be accessed. Notably, even if you have a private well line connected to your home or business, you may still have lead within your pipes or faucets. A simple method for testing whether or not a line is made of lead is by performing a scratch test. This involves scratching the surface and checking if the material comes off as a shiny silver color. Magnets also do not stick to lead lines. If both of these are the case, you’ve got a lead line. If not, there may still be traces of lead within your water system through other sections of your water system. You can get a drinking water test by grabbing a sample and sending it in for lab testing. This is often the most guaranteed way to make sure you’re not drinking dangerous amounts of lead.
What about if the pipe is found under the surface and has no visible connection point? In this case, vacuum excavation can be used to uncover the pipe and determine if it’s made of lead. Through the use of air or water to dig into the ground, this method allows for safe digging to the utility line to determine its material characteristics and location, making it easier to investigate and add to an inventory. If you find out there’s excessive levels of lead contamination in your pipes, you should avoid drinking from them and get them replaced.
