Get a letter about lead in your water pipes? Here’s why CT residents are receiving them

CT Post – Tuesday, November 26, 2024
By Jordan Nathaniel Fenster

If you’ve recently received a letter warning of lead in your drinking water, you’re not alone. Residents across Connecticut have opened their mail recently to learn they may be drinking lead.

A change in federal rules three years ago required every water company nationwide to put together an inventory of all service lines in the drinking water system.

In Connecticut, that inventory was due to be submitted to the Department of Public Health by Oct. 16. The rules then required water companies to inform residents who may have lead in the pipes that bring water to their homes.

The federal program is administered and funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“I applaud the EPA and public water systems for taking these unprecedented steps to protect our communities from exposure to lead and other dangers in our drinking water,” Connecticut health Commissioner Manisha Juthani said earlier this month. “These rule changes from the EPA and the funding to implement them are vital to protect the public health of our communities.”

According to the state’s informational website on lead, “A service line is a pipe that connects a water main to a home or other building.”

“The goal of this effort is to identify and replace all drinking water service lines made of lead and galvanized steel downstream of lead,” the website says.

Young children are particularly susceptible to the dangers of lead, the natural occurring substance negatively impacting cognitive abilities, speech and language development, hearing, visual-spatial skills, attention, emotional regulation and motor skills, according to DPH.

Residents who received a letter from their water companies can assume the service lines are made of lead, are galvanized or are made of an unknown material. If residents do not receive a letter, their service lines do not fall into those categories.

Public water systems are able to receive funding to replace impacted service lines through the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds program, which was funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law promoted by President Joe Biden.

The program dovetails with a larger Connecticut initiative to remove lead from areas where children may be, including removing lead paint from residences for free.

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