Event Marks National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week

CINCINNATI – Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) hosted Bruno Pigott, Acting Assistant Administrator for the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water, today to show the utility’s progress at removing lead service lines during National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.

Pigott visited a home on Claypole Avenue in Cincinnati’s East Price Hill neighborhood to observe how a construction crew replaces a lead line. GCWW offers a program to replace publicly- and privately-owned lead lines at no additional cost to property owners. The program is funded with a combination of local, state, and federal money.

Earlier this year, GCWW was appropriated a $910,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s FY2024 Community Project Funding for removal of lead service lines. The money was used toward the replacement of 500 lead lines.

“Removing lead service lines in older homes is a crucial public health issue, not just in Cincinnati but all across the nation,” said Director Bailey.

Lead is a toxic metal that poses a health hazard, especially to children ages 6 and younger. Among its effects, lead can cause developmental delays and neurological damage in infants and children and cause high blood pressure, anemia, and other ailments in adults.

“The science is clear, there is no safe level of lead exposure. That’s why the Biden-Harris Administration and EPA are strengthening drinking water regulations, investing billions of dollars to replace pipes, and working with local partners it is vitally important to rid our communities of lead service lines and to reduce lead exposure for residents, especially children,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Pigott.

This year, National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is October 20-26. It is designed to bring together individuals, organizations, businesses, and local and state governments to reduce childhood exposure to lead by increasing lead poisoning prevention awareness.

More information can be found here -- https://www.epa.gov/lead/national-lead-poisoning-prevention-week

It is important to note the presence of a lead line does not pose an immediate threat to customers. GCWW is focused on public health and produces millions of gallons of drinking water daily. There is no lead in the water when it leaves the treatment plant or when it is in the distribution system. The risk for lead to enter drinking water occurs if the pipes connecting water mains to the building, indoor plumbing, or interior fixtures are made of lead. However, GCWW uses a special treatment to coat the interior of service lines to minimize the risk of lead leaching into the water.

Cincinnati began requiring the use of copper pipes in 1928 and stopped using lead for public lines at that time. Some service lines on private property still contain lead, and GCWW is working to replace them at no additional cost to customers to ensure public health.

The house where today’s replacement occurred was built in 1900, 124 years ago.

The only method for fully eliminating the risk posed by lead is to replace lines and fixtures that contain the material. GCWW is working to replace all lead service lines in our service area by 2037.

Since February 2018, GCWW has replaced more than 6,100 lead lines as part of its Enhanced Lead Service Line Replacement Program. GCWW currently replaces about 1,200 lines annually. The amount is expected to increase to about 3,600 annually over the next few years due to changes in federal regulations.

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