Lead Pipes Found Around the Country: Governments Are Calling for Major Replacement Projects – EP Magazine
Lead Pipes Found Around the Country: Governments Are Calling for Major Replacement Projects
As cities like Flint and Newark are trying to solve their water contamination problems, cities are finding hazardous piping problems all over the country. The answer is simple: replace them.
The drinking water crises in Newark, NJ and Flint, MI are proving to not be isolated issues. Millions of homes across the U.S. get their water through pipes made with toxic lead, which is particularly dangerous to children.
Replacing the lead pipes that pose these risks is both a simple and complicated answer. At the most basic, it’s about saving lives, removing the threat, and the fact that previous water treatment solutions are not working.
The city of Newark is at a loss, and replacing the city’s pipes is the only next option. As Newark works to develop a plan and funding for pipe replacements, officials around the U.S. are urging many other communities across the nation to replace lead pipes, not just those dealing with health crises.
Cities like Flint and Newark dealing with water contamination issues firsthand have relied on the theory of treating the pipes with anti-corrosive agents, thinking that is enough to keep the public out of danger. Done correctly, chemical treatment should be enough to keep water in line with federal regulations, said Peg Gallos, executive director of the Association of Environmental Authorities, a group that represents water utilities. But in cases when chemicals fail to work fully, pipe replacement is the other option, explains one Associated Press article.
Public policy researcher at Texas A&M, Manny Theodoro, told New Jersey lawmakers that replacing pipes is simply a matter of humanity. “It’s hard to come up with an argument against it. Look, lead service line replacement is expensive, but it’s also removing poison from the bodies of ourselves and our children. It’s difficult to think of many things that are more important.”