GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The Gainesville Department of Water Resources had been awarded $200,000 to assist in creating a federally mandated inventory of lead service lines.
It’s part of a $50 billion federal program to strengthen the nation’s drinking water and wastewater systems.
“The federal program is in response to the water contamination crisis in Flynt, Michigan. There is no known lead on our side of the system, but there’s probably some lead on the private side in some areas,” said Gainesville Water Resources Department Director Linda MacGregor.
MacGregor estimates about one-half of the city’s 60,000 water customers have lead pipes leading from water meters to homes or other private structures.
They typically are homes built before 1986.
“The plumbing code changed in 1986. So if a structure is built after that, the chances of having lead pipes are very low,” MacGregor told Channel 2′s Tom Regan.
Exposure to lead in water or by other means has been linked to health problems, especially in children.
MacGregor said in the coming months, water resource crews will dig to determine what residential areas of the city have lead water pipes.
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“We are going to select certain areas, like if there’s a lot of homes built at the same time. We can test a few of them and make the conclusion for the whole group,” MacGregor said.
Homeowners who have lead pipes will not be required to replace them with copper or plastic. But water officials strongly suggest doing so for health reasons.
It’s possible federal funds could be available later to cover the cost of replacement.
Homeowners who have lead pipes can take steps to reduce exposure to toxins.
“One is to use cold water for drinking water and making baby formula, and things like that. The second is to run the water for a little bit before you use it, so you’re not using the water that has been sitting in the pipes,” McGregor said.
Laboratories can also test for lead in water. The water department doesn’t conduct such testing.
Water department officials told Regan that their inspection and inventory report will be provided to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by the deadline of October 2024.
“This is an initiative to identify where there are lead pipes and make sure people are going to do the right thing,” MacGregor said.
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