The City of Bloomington has been working for a few months to address complaints about its foul smelling and testing water, and now they face questions from residents about lead pipes that need replaced.
The city has been sending out letters to thousands of residents whose water lines are — or could be — made of lead. The letter explains the health effects of lead exposure and steps you can take to reduce exposure.
Bloomington Water Director Ed Andrews said the city also sent out the letters last year. Both mail drops sparked lots of questions.
“When we start having conversations about lead, lead services, lead pipes, people have legitimate concerns,” Andrews said. “We have not found the perfect combination of media dialogue and upfront letter to help soften that.”
Andrews said the city may send out a supplemental mailer that includes more information about its lead pipe removal program.
The City of Bloomington is getting set to launch a 10-year plan to replace every lead line in the city, as required by the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]. That program doesn't start until next spring, but the letter offers a lead test for anyone who has concerns about the risk of lead in their water.
Lead is linked to many health problems. It's especially harmful to children. They are susceptible to behavioral and learning problems. Lead exposure in adults can lead to high blood pressure, reduced kidney function and reproductive problems.
Bloomington's latest water testing shows 1.3 parts per billion of lead. The EPA doesn't require safety improvements for anything less than 10 parts per billion.
But Andrews said lead levels could be higher in select areas.
“If you have a lead line, there’s always the potential for there to be a slightly elevated level that if it was above 10 [parts per billion] we would work with you on it,” Andrews said.
Andrews said in those cases the city would provide the resident a water filter and schedule a quick line replacement.
The city estimates it has about 5,700 lead services lines, many in its older neighborhoods west of Veterans Parkway. Many homes there were built before 1954, when lead lines were required.
The city also has about 8,900 water lines defined as "unknown." They could be lead, but are likely copper. Copper lines were cheaper than lead after the EPA lifted the lead requirement.
For example, Meadowbrook subdivision in southeast Bloomington was built in the early 1950s. Andrews said the city determined last year all the unknown lines there were indeed copper.
“It’s really a reinforcement that prices dictate what implementation... if given a choice the contractor elected to go with copper,” Andrews said.
The city is preparing to replace an estimated 10,000 lead lines over the next 10 years at a cost of $100 million. The city approved three years of water rate increases to pay for the replacements.
Taste and odor
Some of those additional fees are also going toward the city's water taste and odor problems.
Andrews said a temporary fix, known as PAC [powdered activated carbon], has made dramatic improvements in MIB [methyl-isoborneol] and geosmin, compounds that contribute to an earthy, musty taste and odor. Those treatments started in early March.
“The first week we started adding PAC and we worked our way into an increased level of dosage, we were at 88% removal efficiency, and at the height of the event, where we had the highest levels of MIB and geosmin, we were at 96.5% removal efficiency," he said.
Those compounds do not pose a public health risk.
Andrews said the PAC temporary treatments now are labor intensive. The city moved up a more permanent treatment Andrews planned to buy next year only to realize he couldn't wait.
“And then mother nature humbles me this past winter and decided to make that project advance sooner rather than later,” he said.
The city is also looking at longer term solutions. He says an in-lake treatment to remove algae would likely be in the $5-6 million dollar range. An advanced oxidation at the water treatment plant could top $35 million.
Andrews expects study recommendations by the end of the year.
