Cedar Rapids and other cities have mailed notices to residents who have — or may have — underground water pipes containing lead heading to their homes.

These notifications are required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which recently announced a directive to remove all lead pipes in the country and some made from galvanized iron. by 2037.

Lead is a dangerous neurotoxin, especially for children, if consumed. It has long been used to carry water into homes and other buildings because it is flexible and sturdy.

Public water supplies with pipes use minerals to prevent lead from leaching into drinking water and are regularly tested to ensure these corrosion controls are effective.

But as long as the pipes exist, they pose a threat. A decade ago, more than 100,000 people were exposed to high levels of lead in Flint, Michigan, when the city changed water sources and failed to use appropriate controls against lead. corrosion.

“Our goal is to ensure that everyone knows their water is safe, and if they have any concerns about the quality of their water, they can contact us to request additional testing,” said Roy Hesemann, director of utilities for Cedar Rapids.

The city has sent notices regarding 9,000 service lines to homes and businesses where the pipes are lead, may contain lead, or are galvanized iron that at one time was downstream of the lead and could have been contaminated by it. It’s aabout 17 percent of the city’s total service lines.

The composition of more than 7,000 of these lines is unknown. The city asked residents to try to identify the material of the pipe where it enters their home. and report it. About 400 people did so, Hesemann said.

Other cities

Public water supplies were required to submit inventories of their lead service lines to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources last month.

The vast majority did, and the department worked with a handful of very small providers — mobile home parks, for example — to submit their information, said Corey McCoid, DNR water operations supervisor. .

“We’re finding less lead than I thought,” he said.

The department is reviewing the data and does not yet have a statewide total number of guidelines.

Here is the number of pipes that may contain lead in some other eastern Iowa cities, according to information submitted to the DNR:

The actual number of affected lines is likely lower than reported, but it may be years before the true number is known.

“There is no infallible method”

Knowing the material of the pipe where it enters a building is helpful, said Jonathan Durst, Iowa City water superintendent, but it doesn’t necessarily reveal everything between the building and a water pipe. main water.

“There is no foolproof way to correctly identify all the materials” present in service lines without digging, he said.

The city does not yet have an active program to reveal the composition of its unknown lines, but it is proposing to share costs with residents who replace their main lines. Iowa City will pay up to $5,000 per line.

Durst estimates that more than 150 residents have contacted his department since the notices were sent out and most of them want to test their water, which the city does for free.

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