Is Your Water Safe? How Atlanta Residents Can Check for Lead Pipes – Capital B News

After changing a federal law, the counties across Georgia facilitate the residents to know whether lead pipes contain the water in their communities.

In 2021, a regular revision was carried out on federal laws in relation to lead and copper in pipes in order to create safe conditions for drinking water.

Due to this change, public water systems all over the country had to present a stock of pipe materials in their state by October 2024, which also made these results open to the public.

“Houses may have internal sanitary materials that contain lead” way to say whether there are harmful amounts of lead in their drinking water. “

Lead contamination was a long -term problem in the United States because the toxic chemical has a negative impact on the health of children and adults.

According to EPA, some of the dangers of lead exposure in adults include an increased risk of high blood pressure, problems with kidney and nervous systems as well as heart disease.

Georgia's environmental protection department stated that “children, infants and fetuses” are exposed to the greatest risks of lead exposure. For babies and toddlers, the lead exposure risks include a decrease in the IQ and attention span as well as learning and behavioral problems.

While Atlantas Metro Counties reported that there is no widespread question of lead pipes in her public service lines, some district officers advise the home owners to check the whistle on their private property. Officials of the Dekalb district sent such letters to the residents in November, citing limited information about whistling on a private country.

Metro Atlanta residents can find information about pipes in Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton, Gwinnett and Henry on their respective websites.

How often are lead pipes in Georgia?

In 1986, the Congress changed the Safe Trink Water Act, which banned the use of lead pipes in public water systems or plumber in facilities that provide water for human consumption. Therefore, houses that were built according to this point have far less often that they have the lines.

“The general thought was whether her home was built before 1980 that everyone who built their home or apartment complex could use this lead-based pipe,” said Ted Terry, Commissioner of Dekalb County.

However, the states across the country, including Georgia, still play catch-up to replace lead pipes from the past.

In 2021, the EPA estimated that around 46,000 water services consisted of glue material in Georgia. A survey 2024 of the Federal Authority estimates the presence of around 234,000 leading pipes nationwide.

One of the reasons why Lead pipes have remained a problem is that it is an expensive endeavor to replace important infrastructures such as water services.

The EPA estimates that it would cost around 19.7 billion US dollars to replace Georgia's public lead service lines.

The cross -party infrastructure law has made millions of funds available in recent years to help the state peach state to replace existing lead service lines. According to the EPA, Georgia received $ 66.8 million in 2022 and in 2023 an additional 28.6 million US dollars from the federal government to replace Lead Rohr.

Other lead sources in the water

Although these prescribed inventory reviews and data acquisition are trying to reduce the risk of lead contamination in the water throughout the state, some say that this is not sufficient.

Jennette Gayer, the state director of the non -profit environmental group group, Georgia, said that even if pipes are made of lead, installation materials and devices can still contaminate water.

“In this rule there is nothing that is guaranteed there [no longer be] Lead in drinking water, ”she said. “This rule focuses on pipes and we know that there are other lead sources in drinking water that can end in our water system.”

The Federal Border for Lead in Water is 10 parts per billion. However, the EPA said, “There is no safe lead in drinking water.”

“The EPA and the centers for the control and prevention of diseases (CDC) agree that no safe lead is known in a child's blood. Lead is harmful to health, especially for children, ”said the Wingfield of the EPA.

So test your water on lead

If you are concerned about possible lead contamination in your water at home, the EPD of Georgia has a list of several commercial laboratories that coordinate lead tests that can cost between 20 and $ 100.

You can also contact your water supplier to determine whether you contain information about the service lines connected to your home.

The EPA has a free online tool that can be used to determine whether pipes connected to your house are made of lead.

If you identify lead pipes in your house, depending on the size of your house and the number of existing pipes that need to be replaced, the installation can cost thousands of dollars.

You can contact the water department of your local government or to your water representative in order to receive possible financial support.

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