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What’s On Tap?
Lets talk about
Your Drinking Water Cynthia Klevens, P.E.
NHDES Drinking Water & Groundwater
Nashua NH, November 1, 2017
Cynthia.Klevens@des.nh.gov
603-271-3108
1. Flint, Michigan
2. Lead and public water systems
3. Lead and private wells
4. Lead and Children
5. Testing your tap water
6. Treating your tap water
7. Questions
SEQUENCE OF MISTAKES
• Switch from Lake Huron to Flint River
• **Stopped Orthophosphate feed**
• **Higher chloride in River vs. Lake water**
• E.coli and Legionella bacteria => increased chlorine
• Higher Chlorine => exceed Chlorination Byproducts
• Change to Ferric Chloride coagulant => more corrosion
• Iron corrosion => Brown water complaints
• Brown water => Iron, LEAD, Bacteria…
Ripple Effects of Childhood Lead Poisoning http://www.leadsafeillinois.org/facts/ripple-effects.asp
Source: LeadSafe Illinois at Loyola
University Chicago Civitas ChildLaw
Center and Policy Institute
Where does lead in drinking water come from?
Lead service line or lead gooseneck
Many faucets and fittings up to Jan 2014
Lead plumbing
• Dull gray
• Shiny when scratched
• Non-magnetic
(galvanized steel pipes are dull when
scraped and a magnet will stick to them.)
Copper pipes connected with lead solder installed
prior to 1987
Allowable lead content in solder was
reduced from 50% to 0.2% in 1986
Sediment
Source: EPA Fact Sheet “How to Identify Lead Free Certification Marks for Drinking Water
System & Plumbing Products”
Copper pipes joined by lead solder
Faucets or brass fittings that contain some lead
Fixtures purchased before January 4, 2014
may contain up to 8% lead content
LOOK FOR Lead Free Certification Mark
indicating that the fixture meets the “lead free”
requirement or contact the manufacturer to
confirm the lead content
How does lead get into drinking water?
Plumbing components can
leach lead into water when:
Water is “aggressive” - high
acidity or low mineral content
Corrosion control that is
intended to build up a
protective coating inside the
pipe is ineffective
There is disturbance of the
plumbing Photo Source: Michigan Radio
LEAD AND PUBLIC
WATER SUPPLIES
~ 730 Community water
systems in New Hampshire
75% serve 250 people or less
Regulated under the
SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT
Tested regularly for hundreds of
parameters including LEAD
State inspection every 3 years
- Bacteria
- Nitrate / Nitrite
- Inorganic chemicals including
metals
- Stagnant Lead and Copper
- Volatile Organic Chemicals
- Semi-volatile Organics
- Radionuclides
- Disinfection Byproducts
PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM TESTING
Lead Regulations under the Safe Drinking Water Act
Banned lead in solder and fixtures (1985 & 2011)
Lead and Copper Rule Testing and Treatment (NH - 1992)
TREATMENT STANDARD, NOT HEALTH-BASED
Also, compliance is based on 90% of samples - not 100%
FUTURE RULE RECOMMENDATIONS
• Shorter Timeframes for Notification
• Transparency with sample results and location
of lead services
• Focus on Kids
Household Action Level
Schools and Daycares
• Sampling in the Right Places
NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIVATE WELLS
• Serve 46% of residents or ~ 520,000 people
• Have no uniform testing or treatment requirements
• Are not regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act
PARAMETER Percent of Private Well samples above
Health Standard
Arsenic > 10 µg/L 20% (1 in 5)
Bacteria Present 19% (1 in 5)
>= 15 µg/L 70% detects 15% exceeding
>= 15 µg/L 2% exceeding
Nitrate >= 10 mg/L 0.3%
Radon** > 2,000 pCi/L 55% (1 in 2)
Radon** > 10,000 pCi/L 24% (1 in 4)
Manganese > 0.05 mg/L 40%
Common Contaminants in New Hampshire Well Water
Source: NH DHHS Public Health Laboratory, 2016
• Lead Stagnant = first flush sample sitting overnight in home plumbing.
• Lead Flushed = samples after flushing tap for a few minutes.
MCL Goal is ZERO
Flush your tap every morning
whether you are on Town water
or Private well water
Test stagnant lead and copper
to see if your water is corrosive
Use alternate water for infants
and children if lead is ≥5 ppb
Understanding LEAD
Probability of Arsenic in New Hampshire Bedrock Wells
Arsenic is
naturally
occurring in
NH; so is:
- Radon
- Uranium
- Fluoride
HEALTH IMPACTS - ARSENIC
• Cancers (bladder, skin, kidney, liver, prostate and lung)
• Vascular and cardiovascular disease
• Reproductive and developmental effects
• Cognitive and neurological effects
• Diabetes and other metabolic disorders
• Neuropathy
Hughes et al. (2011). “Arsenic Exposure and Toxicology:
A Historical Perspective” Toxicological Sci 123(2): 305–332.
HEALTH IMPACTS –
RADON (A IR AND WATER)
21,000 lung cancer
deaths/year in U.S.
100 deaths/yr in NH
Most of the risk from radon in
water is from it’s release to
the air, such as in the shower.
SOME HUMAN-CAUSED CONTAMINANTS
Petroleum components – MtBE (13 ppb MCL)
~23% (1 in 4) with detectable levels in susceptible areas
PFCs - 70 parts per trillion Health Advisory
Sources include Teflon®, Post-It® and other adhesive paper,
Cosmetics, Tyvek®, Gore-Tex® and other synthetic and stain-
resistant materials, fire-fighting foam, etc.
Collaboration between NHDES & DHHS Lead
Poisoning Prevention Program
Testing water in the homes of lead poisoned children when a
child’s blood lead level is ≥ 10 µg/dL
New ‘Lead in Drinking Water’ fact sheet:
LEAD OUTREACH & EDUCATION 2016
• New website NHDES “Lead in Drinking Water”
http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/dwgb/lead-drinking-water.htm
A to Z List L Lead in Drinking Water
• FAQs about Lead in Drinking Water
• Resources for : Schools and Child Care Programs
Parents
Homeowners
Public Water Systems
Outreach to Schools and Child Care Centers
• Coordinated with DOE and DHHS
• Letter to all NH schools and licensed child care centers with
recommendations to sample and follow 3Ts guidance
3Ts = Training, Testing, and Telling
• Identify potential sources
• Check for banned coolers
• Test every faucet used for drinking
• Correct elevated levels
• Communicate
Water Coolers
1988 Lead Contamination Control Act (LCCA)
Required EPA to publish lists of drinking water
coolers, by brand and model, that have lead-
lined tanks and that are not lead-free.
1. Develop a Plumbing Profile and Water Testing Plan
Understand how water enters and flows through your building(s)
Identify potential sources of lead in the plumbing
Identify and prioritize sample sites
2. Test the Water
Collect 250 mL first-draw samples (i.e., samples of stagnant water before any
flushing or use occurs) from water fountains and other outlets used for
consumption (drinking, cooking, ice making)
Samples analysis should be performed by a laboratory accredited in NH for
the analysis of lead in drinking water
3. Fix Problems
4. Communicate
Pinpoint the sources of lead contamination
Follow-up flush sampling
Eliminate particulate lead as a source – clean aerators and screens
Adopt control measures
Routine - aerator cleaning maintenance schedule, use of cold water only for food and
beverage prep, flushing
Short-Term – flushing, provide bottled water, disconnect/remove problem outlets
Permanent – replace problem components, install filters [must be certified by NSF
under Standard 53 (Health Effects) for lead reduction], check electrical grounding,
provide bottled water, disconnect/remove problem outlets
Make public all test results and identify all activities to correct the problems found.
WHAT TO TEST – PRIVATE WELLS
NHDES “Standard Analysis” Every 3-5 Years
14 parameters + Radon
Stagnant and Flushed LEAD & COPPER
Additional Tests
- Volatile Organic Chemical (VOCs)
- Gross Alpha Radioactivity
- Arsenic Speciation
- Semi-volatile Organic Chemicals (SOCs)
HOMEOWNER STAGNANT LEAD TESTING
Home fixtures, old solder and lead service lines within private property can leach lead if: Water is aggressive Corrosion control is ineffective There is disturbance of the piping
Applies to both private and public water supplies.
Compares lab results to water standards
Identifies treatment options
Provides information on health effects
Considers multiple contaminants
NHDES “BE WELL INFORMED” GUIDE
Recommends appropriate treatment technologies, not products.
Addresses treatment for common contaminants (Standard Analysis)
Considers one or multiple contaminants at varying concentrations, and
well owner feedback (e.g., staining, scaling, taste)
Yields printable PDF reports
Provides links and offers phone support from DES
Homeowners may find the BWI link on their lab reports or on the website
of their accredited lab, or search for “NHDES Be Well Informed”.
Be Well Informed Treatment Recommendations
Dartmouth Private Well Survey (2014)
1 in 4 people who tested their well did not understand the results of their lab report.
1 in 3 did not know what actions to take given their water quality test results.
HOME WATER TREATMENT– POINT OF USE (POU) Treats water at a single tap, examples:
POU carbon filter ->
<- POU Arsenic
Contaminants treated at
Point of Use include:
Arsenic
Uranium
PFCs
Lead particulates
Fluoride
Radium
Chlorine (taste)
HOME WATER TREATMENT – WHOLE-HOUSE
Treats all the water entering
the house, generally
installed in the basement.
Whole House treatment is
necessary for:
Radon
Iron and Manganese
Lead and Copper Corrosivity
Odor - Sulfide
Scaling - Hardness
Acknowledgements
Gail Gettens, Beverly Drouin, Jessica Morton
Lou Barinelli, Wendy Locke, Tina Wells
Laurie Rardin, Kathrin Lawlor
Christine Bowman, Amy Hudnor
Amy Rousseau, Sarah Pillsbury
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