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Identifying and solving lead issues from water systems with materials/device replacement in drinking water system configurations
Citation:
Schock, M. Identifying and solving lead issues from water systems with materials/device replacement in drinking water system configurations. Presented at ORD-OGWDW Small Systems Webinar: Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water, Cincinnati, OH, December 15, 2015.
Impact/Purpose:
Give information on using sequential sampling to find lead or copper problems, and how to characterize lead and copper sources in buildings to solve water quality problems without installing chemical treatment.
Description:
Identifying and assessing lead contamination and exposure potentialin single-family residences is difficult enough, but doing the samekind of assessment and remediation in buildings, schools, and daycare centers is even more challenging. It is of particular importancebecause of the absence of a threshold lead concentration for adversehealth effects, as well as the elevated risk to infants and children. Widevariations of seasonal and diurnal water usage patterns, relativelylow total water flow, and complex small-diameter piping networkshaving multiple lead-containing devices located in series in line and atmultiple consumption endpoints, combine to make addressing leadcontamination in building systems highly challenging. There is rarely,if ever, a “representative” sampling tap. The presentation reviewsthe nature of lead and copper occurrence and relationships to waterquality and use, and then focuses on sampling strategies to identifyand isolate the occurrence of leaded materials in building drinkingwater system configurations.