Posted on Apr 6, 2023
EPA estimates more than 200,000 lead pipes remain in Missouri
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More than 200,000 lead service pipes carry drinking water to Missouri families, according to a new estimate from the Environmental Protection Agency.
New lead water pipes have been banned for more than 30 years. But the EPA estimates that 9.2 million American households still get their water through aging lead pipes.
Just over 2% of those are in Missouri, ranking the state 14th in the country for its number of lead service lines. The EPA announced Tuesday that the state would get $106.4 million to update its water infrastructure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The EPA’s regional administrator, Meghan McCollister, said in a news release that the funds would go to “ensure that Missourians have access to clean drinking water.”
“Missouri’s investments through this fund will aid in securing needed resources to address critical infrastructure needs, threats to drinking water systems such as lead pipes, and emerging contaminants such as (forever chemicals).”
New lead water pipes have been banned for more than 30 years. But the EPA estimates that 9.2 million American households still get their water through aging lead pipes.
Just over 2% of those are in Missouri, ranking the state 14th in the country for its number of lead service lines. The EPA announced Tuesday that the state would get $106.4 million to update its water infrastructure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The EPA’s regional administrator, Meghan McCollister, said in a news release that the funds would go to “ensure that Missourians have access to clean drinking water.”
“Missouri’s investments through this fund will aid in securing needed resources to address critical infrastructure needs, threats to drinking water systems such as lead pipes, and emerging contaminants such as (forever chemicals).”
EPA estimates more than 200,000 lead pipes remain in Missouri
Posted from news.stlpublicradio.org
Hazmat
Water
Posted 1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Water utilities treat their water to be non-corrosive so that lead won’t leach from the service line into people’s drinking water.
But a change in the water chemistry or construction that shakes up a pipe can cause it to start leaching the toxin into drinking water.
That’s what happened in Flint, Michigan, the most prominent case of lead-contaminated water in recent years.
But the issue isn’t unique to that high-profile situation. A pediatrician who helped uncover the Flint water crisis said it wasn’t the first, worst or last.
Something similar happened in Trenton, Missouri, where the water utility switched chemicals used to disinfect the water and the lead levels spiked. Trenton, like many other water utilities, doesn’t know where its lead service lines are."
..."Water utilities treat their water to be non-corrosive so that lead won’t leach from the service line into people’s drinking water.
But a change in the water chemistry or construction that shakes up a pipe can cause it to start leaching the toxin into drinking water.
That’s what happened in Flint, Michigan, the most prominent case of lead-contaminated water in recent years.
But the issue isn’t unique to that high-profile situation. A pediatrician who helped uncover the Flint water crisis said it wasn’t the first, worst or last.
Something similar happened in Trenton, Missouri, where the water utility switched chemicals used to disinfect the water and the lead levels spiked. Trenton, like many other water utilities, doesn’t know where its lead service lines are."
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