NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Lead is extremely bad for your health, and yet small traces might be trickling out of your faucet and mine.
If you live in an old home, there's a very good chance it's made of lead. One of the most common sources of lead in drinking water is the pipe that connects your plumbing to the utility's water main.
When I read that the Environmental Protection Agency is asking water utilities to locate those lead pipes, I asked Metro Water Services if I could tag along.
Using handheld XRF metal analyzers, contracted workers are getting readings on the materials that pipes on private property are made of. In one second and with excellent precision, it delivers a breakdown of the material, according to Metro Water.
"All they have to do is open the meter box, use the metal analyzer, and place it on the pipe itself. It tells them what the material is," said Sonia Allman. "It is extremely accurate. It tells you what percentage of nickel it is, and every other metal material."
This inventory is fulfilling requirements mandated by the EPA's 2021 revised lead and copper rule. According to the White House, drinking water for more than 9 million Americans is delivered through lead service lines.
In Nashville, the city stopped allowing lead to be used on the water service's section of the pipe in 1975, then on the private side in 1979. The federal lead ban was in 1986.
There is no lead in drinking water when it leaves the treatment plant, according to Allman. Metro Water also has an intense corrosion control program that tries to prevent lead from leaching into drinking water. Metro Water uses a blended food-grade phosphate solution to the finished water which bonds to the wall of pipes to form a protective barrier.
"We want to make sure our community is safe and healthy... We want to make sure we keep those levels extremely low. The action level is likely going to be lowered with the new EPA proposals. That is not a concern to us because we're already so far down," Allman said.
Not only will this data be submitted to the EPA, Metro will make it available to property owners after October 16 when it is due.
Since you cannot see, taste, or smell lead in water, testing is the only way to tell whether there are harmful amounts of lead in your drinking water.
It's truly the small things that add up to a great day - and Warrick in Lebanon is having a big impact. His familiar face is becoming a staple in one part of the community and inspiring closer connection in the simplest way. Enjoy his warm personality! You may even feel inclined to wave to a stranger today, too.
-Rebecca Schleicher
