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Lead and Your Drinking Water
Public Service Announcement
Routine tests of the water system in Northville have indicated that some homes in the City of Northville may exceed the Federal Government’s limit for lead. As such, years ago, the City of Northville began a program designed to reduce lead in drinking water.
Since much of the lead contamination of drinking water may come from individual home plumbing systems, there is action you can take in your home. This document offers detailed suggestions about what you can do to mitigate the effects of lead in drinking water.
Lead and your drinking water
The 2012 water sampling on Northville’s water system carried out in accordance with the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act (1976 PA 399, as amended (Act 399), mandated procedures) indicated lead concentrations in some first-draw samples to be above the lead action level of 15 parts per billion. As required by R 325.10410 of Act 399 administrative rules, the City of Northville provided this information to residents and created a local public education program addressing lead in drinking water.
We have continued to address this matter in consultation with staff from the Water Division, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. It must be emphasized that the relative risk to public health from lead in drinking water is believed to be minimal under normal water use conditions. Sampling has shown that the source of elevated lead is from either building plumbing or the service line to your building. We continue to recommend that all customers allow water to run for several minutes from drinking water taps prior to use in the mornings or following six or more hours of nonuse in a building.
“SOME HOMES IN THIS COMMUNITY MAY HAVE ELEVATED LEAD LEVELS IN THEIR DRINKING WATER. LEAD CAN POSE A SIGNIFICANT RISK TO YOUR HEALTH. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING NOTICE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.”
INTRODUCTION
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and this water utility are concerned about lead in your drinking water. Although most homes have very low levels of lead in their drinking water, some homes in the community may have lead levels above the EPA action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb), or 0.015 milligrams of lead per liter of water (mg/L). Under Federal law we are required to have a program in place to minimize lead in your drinking water. Since 1996 the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department has provided corrosion control treatment. The City of Northville is now required to provide public education information. This program includes corrosion control treatment, source water treatment (if warranted) and public education. We are also required to replace the portion of each lead service line that we own if the line contributes lead concentrations of more than 15 ppb after we have completed the comprehensive treatment program. If you have any questions about how we are carrying out the requirements of lead regulations please give us a call (see phone number listed at the end of this brochure). This brochure explains the simple steps you can take to protect you and your family by reducing your exposure to lead in drinking water.
HEALTH EFFECTS OF LEAD
Lead is a common metal found throughout the environment in lead-based paint, air, soil, household dust, food, certain types of pottery, porcelain and pewter, and water. Lead can pose a significant risk to your health if too much of it enters your body. Lead builds up in the body over many years and can cause damage to the brain, red blood cells and kidneys. The greatest risk is to young children and pregnant women. Amounts of lead that won’t hurt adults can slow down normal mental and physical development of growing bodies. In addition, a child at play often comes into contact with sources of lead contamination—like dirt and dust—that rarely affect an adult. It is important to wash children’s hand s and toys often, and to try to make sure they only put food in their mouths.
LEAD IN DRINKING WATER
Lead in drinking water, although rarely the sole cause of lead poisoning, can significantly increase a person’s total lead exposure, particularly the exposure of infants who drink baby formulas and concentrated juices that are mixed with water. The EPA estimates that drinking water can make up 20 percent or more of a person’s total exposure to lead.
Lead is unusual among drinking water contaminants in that it seldom occurs naturally in water supplies like rivers and lakes. Lead enters drinking water primarily as a result of the corrosion, or wearing away, of materials containing lead in the water distribution system and household plumbing. These materials include lead-based solder used to join copper pipe, brass and chrome plated brass faucets, and in some cases, pipes made of lead that connect your house to the water main (service lines). In 1986, Congress banned the use of lead solder containing greater than 0.2% lead, and restricted the lead content of faucets, pipes and other plumbing materials to 8.0%.
When water stands in lead pipes or plumbing systems containing lead for several hours or more, the lead may dissolve into your drinking water. This means the first water drawn from the tap in the morning, or later in the afternoon after returning from work or school, can contain fairly high levels of lead.
STEPS YOU CAN TAKE IN THE HOME TO REDUCE EXPOSURE TO LEAD IN DRINKING WATER
Despite our best efforts mentioned earlier to control water corrosivity and remove lead from the water supply, lead levels in some homes or buildings can be high. To find out whether you need to take action in your own home, have your drinking water tested to determine if it contains excessive concentrations of lead. Testing the water is essential because you cannot see, taste, or smell lead in drinking water. For more information on having your water tested or if you wish to have a listing of local laboratories certified for lead testing, please call your water supplier.
If a water test indicates that the drinking water drawn from a tap in your home contains lead above 15 ppb, then you should take the following precautions:
- Let the water run from the tap before using it for drinking or cooking any time the water in a faucet has gone unused for more than six hours. The longer water resides in your home’s plumbing, the more lead it may contain. Flushing the tap means running the cold water faucet until the water gets noticeably colder, usually about 15-30 seconds. If your house has a lead service line to the water main, you may have to flush the water for a longer time, perhaps one minute, before drinking. Although toilet flushing or showering flushes water through a portion of your home’s plumbing system, you still need to flush the water in each faucet before using it for drinking or cooking. Flushing tap water is a simple and inexpensive measure you can take to protect your family’s health. It usually uses less than one or two gallons of water and costs less than 50 cents per month. To conserve water, fill a couple of bottles for drinking water after flushing the tap, and whenever possible, use the first flush water to wash the dishes or water the plants. If you live in a high-rise building, letting the water flow before using it may not work to lessen your risk from lead. The plumbing systems have more, and sometimes larger pipes than smaller buildings. Ask your landlord for help in locating the source of the lead and for advice on reducing the lead level.
- Try not to cook with, or drink water from the hot water tap. Hot water can dissolve more lead more quickly than cold water. If you need hot water, draw water from the cold tap and heat it on the stove.
- Remove loose lead solder and debris from the plumbing materials installed in newly constructed homes, or homes in which the plumbing has recently been replaced, by removing the faucet strainers from all taps and running the water from 3 to 5 minutes. Thereafter, periodically remove the strainers and flush out any debris that has accumulated over time.
- If your copper pipes are joined with lead solder that has been installed illegally since it was banned in June, 1988, notify the plumber who did the work and request that he or she replaces the lead solder with lead-free solder. Lead solder looks dull gray, and when scratched with a key, looks shiny. In addition, notify the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality about the violation.
- Determine whether or not the service line that connects your home or apartment to the water main is made of lead. The best way to determine if your service line is made of lead is either hiring a licensed plumber to inspect the line or by contracting the plumbing contractor who installed the line. You may be able to identify the plumbing contractor by checking the city’s record of building permits which should be maintained in the files of the local building department. A licensed plumber can at the same time check to see if your home’s plumbing contains lead solder, lead pipes, or pipe fittings that contain lead. If the service line that connects your dwelling to the water main contributes more than 15 ppb to drinking water, after our comprehensive treatment program is in place, we are required to replace the portion of the line we own. If the line is only partially owned by this utility, we are required to provide the owner of the privately owned portion of the line with information on how to replace the privately owned portion of the service line, and offer to replace that portion of the line at the owner's expense. If we replace only the portion of the line that we own, we also are required to notify you in advance and provide you with information on the steps you can take to minimize exposure to any temporary increase in lead levels that may result from the partial replacement, to take a follow up sample at our expense from the line within 72 hours after the partial replacement, and to mail or otherwise provide you with the results of that sample within three business days of receiving the results. Acceptable replacement alternatives include copper, steel, iron, and plastic pipes.
- Have an electrician check your wiring. If grounding wires from the electrical system are attached to your pipes, corrosion may be greater. Check with a licensed electrician or your local electrical code to determine if your wiring can be grounded elsewhere. DO NOT attempt to change the wiring yourself because improper grounding can cause electrical shock and fire hazards.
The steps described above will reduce the lead concentrations in your drinking water. However, if a water test indicates that the drinking water coming form your tap contains lead concentrations in excess of 15 ppb after flushing, or after we have completed our actions to minimize lead levels, then you may want to take the following additional measures:
- Purchase or lease a home treatment device. Home treatment devices are limited in that each unit treats only the water that flows from the faucet to which it is connected, and all of the devices require periodic maintenance and replacement. Devices such as reverse osmosis systems or distillers can effectively remove lead from your drinking water. Some activated carbon filters may reduce lead levels at the tap; however, all lead reduction claims should be investigated. Be sure to check the actual performance of a specific home treatment device before and after installing the unit.
- Purchase bottled water for drinking and cooking.
You can consult a variety of sources for additional information. Your family doctor or pediatrician can perform a blood test for lead and provide you with information about the health effects of lead. State and local government agencies that can be contacted include:
- Northville’s Public Works Dept. can provide information about your community’s water supply, and a list of local laboratories that have been certified by EPA for testing water quality.
- The City’s Building Dept. may be able to provide you with information about building permit records that should contain the names of plumbing contractors that plumbed your home; and
- For information about the health effects of lead and how you can have your child’s blood tested, contact the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (586-753-3700), the Oakland County Health Division (248-858-1280) or the Wayne County Health Dept. (734-727-7000). Top