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Oct 23, 2024

Louisville Water targeting lead water pipes under new EPA rule

New rules from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will require water utilities across the nation to replace nearly all lead pipes within a decade — an ambitious plan to crack down on a potent

New rules from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will require water utilities across the nation to replace nearly all lead pipes within a decade — an ambitious plan to crack down on a potent neurotoxin.

Louisville Water Co., responsible for drinking water infrastructure across the city, says it has already spent $50 million replacing about 74,000 lead service lines in recent decades, and is in compliance with the regulations.

“Our work in eliminating lead service lines began more than 40 years ago,” said Kelley Dearing Smith, spokesperson for the utility, “so Louisville Water is in a good place with the EPA’s improvements.”

But the utility doesn’t own the service lines running beneath private property and into homes. It will take public participation to identify thousands of remaining service lines and flag the lead pipes for free replacement.

Already, the water company has identified more than 480 private lead service lines across the city. There could be thousands more, Dearing Smith said.

No amount of lead is safe, and children are particularly vulnerable to exposure. The metal can cause irreversible damage to a developing brain, affecting decision-making ability, learning and behavior.

Here’s what to know about the EPA’s new lead pipe regulations, and how the public can help ensure lead-free drinking water:

More than $26 billion in federal funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is earmarked for lead service line replacement and other drinking water system improvements, supporting the EPA’s updates to the Lead and Copper Rule.

The new regulations require water systems to build out and maintain a public inventory of existing service lines to identify the remaining lines needing replacement.

Utilities “also must create a service line replacement plan that includes a strategy to prioritize replacement considering community-specific factors, such as populations disproportionately impacted by lead," according to the EPA.

The rules tighten requirements on water sampling, lower the action level for lead in water, and “require more frequent and proactive communications about lead pipes and plans for replacement” with the public.

National environmental groups praised the EPA’s action against lead pipes.

The Natural Resources Defense Council called the updated rules “a monumental victory for public health and our children,” and cited Flint, Michigan, and other affected communities as driving forces for the changes.

In Louisville, old lead-based paint is the primary source of exposure to lead, responsible for thousands of children with elevated blood lead levels in recent years, especially in northwest Jefferson County — a crisis The Courier Journal investigated last year.

But lead pipes remain a risk, and thousands of private service lines in Louisville could still threaten drinking water quality, according to the water company’s inventory efforts.

Louisville Water Co. replaces lead pipes free of charge, and is working to identify the material of thousands of private service lines.

The utility has identified more than 480 private lead service lines and more than 2,000 private galvanized steel service lines in Louisville. (Galvanized steel pipes are included in the regulations and also must be replaced, because they can capture lead from past sources and release it over time.)

The material of roughly 48,000 private service lines in the city has not yet been identified in the inventory.

The water company estimates 4,000-5,000 of those unidentified lines could contain lead, Dearing Smith said. But the utility needs help from residents to identify them.

Homes with lead, galvanized steel or unknown pipe material have already received a postcard from Louisville Water Co. with instructions and an offer of free replacement, according to Dearing Smith.

Residents in homes built before 1950 can check the status of their property’s service line on the utility’s online lookup tool.

“Based on our research, Louisville Water has not seen a lead service line on properties that were built during or after 1950,” according to the utility. “If your home was built in 1950 or later, chances are you do not have a lead service line.”

This means risk from lead service lines is largely concentrated in Louisville’s urban core.

“It’s the older parts of our city,” Dearing Smith said. “Think about the Highlands. Think about the western part of the city, the downtown area. Think about how Louisville grew up.”

The utility is mostly focused on single-family residential properties, she added, because lead isn’t typically found in larger service lines, like those used for offices, apartment buildings or schools.

If you’re unsure of the material of your water service line, or if your service line material is marked “unknown” in the online inventory, the water company offers a video tutorial for identifying it.

Common pipe materials include plastic (PVC or PEX), brass, copper, galvanized steel and lead. The water company’s instructions for identifying the material require a coin and a magnet.

After identifying a service line’s material, the water company asks residents to fill out a form online, providing information and some photos for staff to review to update the inventory.

Residents can also contact the water company at 502-569-0898 or [email protected] for assistance in identifying lead or galvanized steel service lines, or arranging for their free replacement.

Connor Giffin is an environmental reporter for The Courier Journal. Reach him directly [email protected] or on X@byconnorgiffin.