In brief:
- Millions of lead pipes are still being used to bring drinking water to individual homes; that poses a health risk, especially to young children
- A new federal rule requires the replacement of all lead service lines within 10 years
- Cincinnati has a head start on that requirement, but it will still be tough to meet the deadline
- Even if you have lead service lines, your water is likely safe to drink thanks to treatment practices reduce the risk of lead getting into the water
Learn more:
The water crisis in Flint, Michigan prompted the water utility in Cincinnati to begin replacing lead service lines eight years ago. Now, the Environmental Protection Agency has ordered the nationwide replacement of the country's nine million lead lines within ten years.
Greater Cincinnati Water Works has replaced more than 6,400 service lines since 2018, a significant head start.
"We didn't wait for anyone to tell us that you have to do this because of a regulation," said director Cathy Bailey. "We noticed that it was the right thing for our community from the beginning, and we made sure that our city leaders understood that."
There are still 45,000 lead lines in the city that need to be replaced, and it will be be a challenge to meet the new deadline.
"We finally got to a point where we're doing about 1,200 per year. We thought that was like a big deal, a good thing," Baily said. "But now we realize we need to get to 3,600 [per year]. So there's going to be a significant ramp up to that."
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Bailey says it will cost an estimated $200 million to replace the remaining lead lines. That cost is covered by GCWW ratepayers, thanks to a series of rate increases.
Pleasant Ridge homeowner Elizabeth Gardner tells WVXU she's happy to pay more on her water bill each month. GCWW replaced her lead lines earlier this year.
"I don't want anybody to have lead in their water," Gardner said. "If I can turn on the faucet and there's good, clean water coming out, that's worth a lot of money."
The potential for exposure to lead contamination can be scary. Here's everything you need to know about lead water pipes and how to protect yourself (click to jump to a specific section):
- What health problems can lead poisoning cause?
- Is my water safe to drink?
- How can I tell if I have lead pipes?
- What should I do if I have lead pipes?
- How many lead pipes are still in use?
- Where is Cincinnati replacing lead lines first?
- I got a letter saying I have lead service lines. Is it legitimate?
- How much does it cost to replace lead service lines?
What health problems can lead poisoning cause?
The risk of lead poisoning from water lines is relatively low compared to lead-based paint. But experts say there is no safe level of lead.
"We're worried mostly about how lead affects the developing body, particularly the brain," said Dr. Nicholas Newman, director of the Environmental Health and Lead clinic at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. "The brain only develops once ... you can't really go back and click the 'undo' button."
RELATED: How will Ohio replace its 750,000 lead-based water lines?
Dr. Newman says lead poisoning in early childhood tends to cause lower IQ scores and certain behavior problems, like attention-related or antisocial behaviors.
"As the lead levels go up, you see more effects on other systems," he said. "You'll see effect on hearing, you can see effect on the kidneys. And there's a concern, also, in adults, because of the increasing risk for heart disease as it relates to having chronic exposure to lead."
In other words, the greatest risk is to children under age six, but lead exposure can cause health problems for anyone.
Hamilton County and the city of Cincinnati each have a lead poisoning prevention program.
Is my water safe to drink?
Water leaving the treatment plant lead-free; the risk of exposure comes from pipes that connect the water main to individual homes. Many of these pipes, known as service lines, were installed before 1928 and are made of lead.
With so many service lines made of potentially toxic material, why isn't lead poisoning more widespread? It's because water utilities use carefully crafted treatment processes that significantly reduce the risk for lead exposure.
Basically, treatment chemicals added to the water interact with the lead pipes and create a coating along the inside — this coating prevents lead from deteriorating and leeching into the water.
"We know that this is a practice that works well, and that does keep people safe," said Greater Cincinnati Water Works Director Cathy Bailey. "However, those lead service lines are still there, and as long as those lead service lines are there, there's a risk. So we're just working to reduce the risk as much we can."
How can I tell if I have lead pipes?
If you get your water from Greater Cincinnati Water Works, you can look up your address on their interactive map to see if you have lead lines or not.
No matter where you live, you can use this step-by-step guide from the EPA to identify the material your service lines are made from.
What should I do if I have lead pipes?
Greater Cincinnati Water Works offers free lead testing. It can take one to two months to receive a test kit and get the results back. Learn more on the utility's web site here.
You can also use an at-home water filter certified to remove lead from drinking water. Learn more from the EPA below or at this link.
How many lead pipes are still in use?
The EPA estimates there are more than nine million lead service lines still in use throughout the United States.
There are nearly 750,000 in Ohio, and nearly 45,000 in Cincinnati alone. Of those in Cincinnati, about 10,000 are publicly-owned, with the rest being on private property. All lead lines, public and private, have to be replaced.
Where is Cincinnati replacing lead lines first?
Until recently, GCWW used a waiting list for lead service line replacements; any homeowner could sign up for the list, often waiting a year or more for their turn.
The utility is now shifting to a different strategy, working to identify those most at risk for lead poisoning and replacing those lead lines first.
"There's a social and environmental justice aspect of this," Cathy Bailey said. "A lot of these lead service lines still remain in neighborhoods that are older, that have potentially low income or disadvantaged communities."
The EPA rule requires utilities to prioritize disadvantaged communities for lead service line replacements; it's part of President Joe Biden's "Justice40" initiative.
To do that, GCWW turned to researchers at the University of Cincinnati to create a data model for prioritization.
"[The utility] emphasized that social justice criterion were very important to them," said. Prof. Christopher Auffrey. "They wanted to make sure those people that were most vulnerable at greatest risk, their lines, would be prioritized in terms of replacement."
Auffrey and his team have prioritized replacement zones by using zip codes where children have high lead levels, plus data like poverty levels and food deserts.
"As stewards of the public money, they want to be as efficient as possible, as well," Auffrey said. "And so they said, well, we want to aggregate these and be able to do multiple line replacements at a time."
That means instead of working on homes one at a time, the utility will send a crew to replace lead lines on an entire block or street.
"It's not efficient and effective for us to just be jumping all over the city," Bailey said. "If we need to hit 20 on the street, we need to be there at one time to try to get the 20, not two this year; five in three years; two, two years after that."
I got a letter saying I have lead service lines. Is it legitimate?
Most likely, yes. The new EPA rule requires utilities to notify homeowners with lines made from lead, from galvanized steel (which may contain lead), and lines in which the material is unknown.
"We're going to be working block by block, coming to the customers, signing them up and doing whole streets at a time for replacements," said Lead Program Manager Kevin Kappers.
It's not the first time GCWW has contacted residents about lead pipes. Unlike the early days of the program, however, the city will now pay the entire cost of replacement instead of sharing the expense with the homeowner.
"When we're working in your area, we come at you with every way we can," Kappers said. "We're going to call, we're going to text, email, put up signs on the street, team up with your community council."
GCWW will send about 5,000 letters per week for 10 weeks (starting in early October), aiming to spread out the expected increase in calls and emails from customers with questions about the notification.
Rental properties will receive multiple copies of the letter: one to the tenant, one to the landlord, and one to the owner's agent. The utility will also notify customers by email if that information is available.
Learn more about the notification process in this memo from the City Manager's Office.
How much does it cost to replace lead service lines?
GCWW is one of many water utilties that will pay the entire cost of replacing privately-owned lead lines. Previously, Cincinnati would pay for up to half the cost of replacing lines on private property (40% for all residential property owners, and 45-50% for low-income property owners).
From the archives: Cincinnati will now pay entire cost of replacing privately-owned lead lines
The program is possible because of a rate increase: 3.75% starting in 2022, and an annual 5.55% increase for four years starting in 2023. Council approved the rate plan as part of the fiscal year 2022 budget.
Unfortunately, there's no reimbursement if you've already paid part or all of the cost of replacing your service line.
