The City of Syracuse got good news on water quality in the face of the ongoing lead poisoning problem. But the recent EPA report does not tell the whole story of the ongoing health threat – or the task facing the city. Officials are counting on residents to take an active role.
It was cause for some celebration when an Environmental Protection Agency report showed the lead levels in Syracuse water were below the allowable limit. Deputy Mayor Corey Driscoll Dunham explained an independent source collects 100 samples from households to test. The finding of 12 parts per billion met the safety standard – for now.
“But we know that there's still a lot of more work to do because the EPA standard is going to change next year. And so we really need to get under that 10 parts per billion,” Driscoll Dunham added. “And so that's where the service line replacements come in. That's what we’re looking at, you know, the treatment that we give the water, the orthophosphate to stop that corrosion, try and discourage that corrosion. That's where those efforts really come in.”
It might not be news that the replacement of service lines has been going on for years. About 2,700 homes are slated to have lead pipe service lines changed in the next 12 months or so. Driscoll Dunham acknowledged that’s a – pardon the water pun – drop in the bucket.
“So there are about 14,000, I think, known lead services (across the city), but there are other services where we don't know what the material is. That's where people being able to empower themselves to figure out what material they have is helpful, but also, you know, we're going to go in and verify that information,” she said.
Residents are being asked to help by simply looking at pipes coming into the house, taking a picture, and sending it to the water department. The city pays to replace the water service to those buildings, but that doesn’t always cure the problem. “The service line is not the only place where lead might be present.”
She added there are other ways to protect against lead poisoning, “running your water for 30 seconds in the morning, (and) using a water filter is just another precaution to take just in case, because some people don't know what their fixtures are within their home and you can never be too careful.”
Replacing pipes and fixtures in the home is the property owner’s responsibility. Driscoll Dunham admitted the city needs to get better at communicating the progress on lead pipe replacement. She noted it’s a years-long process. The city has received $22 million in state support and another $1.1 million in federal aid to assist in the lead abatement program. But the task requires more funding and years to fully address.
