What’s On Tap?

Lets talk about

Your Drinking Water Cynthia Klevens, P.E.

NHDES Drinking Water & Groundwater

Nashua NH, November 1, 2017

Cynthia.Klevens@des.nh.gov

603-271-3108

1. Flint, Michigan

2. Lead and public water systems

3. Lead and private wells

4. Lead and Children

5. Testing your tap water

6. Treating your tap water

7. Questions

1. FLINT – AFTER 20 / 20 HINDSIGHT

SEQUENCE OF MISTAKES

• Switch from Lake Huron to Flint River

• **Stopped Orthophosphate feed**

• **Higher chloride in River vs. Lake water**

• E.coli and Legionella bacteria => increased chlorine

• Higher Chlorine => exceed Chlorination Byproducts

• Change to Ferric Chloride coagulant => more corrosion

• Iron corrosion => Brown water complaints

• Brown water => Iron, LEAD, Bacteria…

SO WHAT ARE THE LESSONS FROM FLINT?

WHO MAKES THESE DECISIONS?

Ripple Effects of Childhood Lead Poisoning http://www.leadsafeillinois.org/facts/ripple-effects.asp

Source: LeadSafe Illinois at Loyola

University Chicago Civitas ChildLaw

Center and Policy Institute

2. Your Water Source: Private Well or Public Water?

Where does lead in drinking water come from?

Lead service line or lead gooseneck

Many faucets and fittings up to Jan 2014

Lead plumbing

• Dull gray

• Shiny when scratched

• Non-magnetic

(galvanized steel pipes are dull when

scraped and a magnet will stick to them.)

Copper pipes connected with lead solder installed

prior to 1987

Allowable lead content in solder was

reduced from 50% to 0.2% in 1986

Sediment

Source: EPA Fact Sheet “How to Identify Lead Free Certification Marks for Drinking Water

System & Plumbing Products”

Copper pipes joined by lead solder

Faucets or brass fittings that contain some lead

Fixtures purchased before January 4, 2014

may contain up to 8% lead content

LOOK FOR Lead Free Certification Mark

indicating that the fixture meets the “lead free”

requirement or contact the manufacturer to

confirm the lead content

How does lead get into drinking water?

Plumbing components can

leach lead into water when:

Water is “aggressive” - high

acidity or low mineral content

Corrosion control that is

intended to build up a

protective coating inside the

pipe is ineffective

There is disturbance of the

plumbing Photo Source: Michigan Radio

LEAD AND PUBLIC

WATER SUPPLIES

~ 730 Community water

systems in New Hampshire

75% serve 250 people or less

Regulated under the

SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT

Tested regularly for hundreds of

parameters including LEAD

State inspection every 3 years

- Bacteria

- Nitrate / Nitrite

- Inorganic chemicals including

metals

- Stagnant Lead and Copper

- Volatile Organic Chemicals

- Semi-volatile Organics

- Radionuclides

- Disinfection Byproducts

PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM TESTING

Lead Regulations under the Safe Drinking Water Act

Banned lead in solder and fixtures (1985 & 2011)

Lead and Copper Rule Testing and Treatment (NH - 1992)

TREATMENT STANDARD, NOT HEALTH-BASED

Also, compliance is based on 90% of samples - not 100%

FUTURE RULE RECOMMENDATIONS

• Shorter Timeframes for Notification

• Transparency with sample results and location

of lead services

• Focus on Kids

Household Action Level

Schools and Daycares

• Sampling in the Right Places

NO RISK OF LEAD IN DRINKING WATER =

POSSIBLE LEAD

COMPONENTS:

- GOOSENECK

- PRIVATE SERVICE LINE

PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS

Problems with Lead and Copper Rule

Unclear if sampling where the lead is…

- EVERY HOME IS NOT TESTED

- WHAT IS A “REPRESENTATIVE”

SAMPLING LOCATION

3. Lead and Private wells

PRIVATE WELL

NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIVATE WELLS

• Serve 46% of residents or ~ 520,000 people

• Have no uniform testing or treatment requirements

• Are not regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act

Water contaminants

can be both

naturally occurring

and/or human caused

PARAMETER Percent of Private Well samples above

Health Standard

Arsenic > 10 µg/L 20% (1 in 5)

Bacteria Present 19% (1 in 5)

>= 15 µg/L 70% detects 15% exceeding

>= 15 µg/L 2% exceeding

Nitrate >= 10 mg/L 0.3%

Radon** > 2,000 pCi/L 55% (1 in 2)

Radon** > 10,000 pCi/L 24% (1 in 4)

Manganese > 0.05 mg/L 40%

Common Contaminants in New Hampshire Well Water

Source: NH DHHS Public Health Laboratory, 2016

• Lead Stagnant = first flush sample sitting overnight in home plumbing.

• Lead Flushed = samples after flushing tap for a few minutes.

HEALTH EFFECTS

– LEAD

MCL Goal is ZERO

Flush your tap every morning

whether you are on Town water

or Private well water

Test stagnant lead and copper

to see if your water is corrosive

Use alternate water for infants

and children if lead is ≥5 ppb

Understanding LEAD

Probability of Arsenic in New Hampshire Bedrock Wells

Arsenic is

naturally

occurring in

NH; so is:

- Radon

- Uranium

- Fluoride

HEALTH IMPACTS - ARSENIC

• Cancers (bladder, skin, kidney, liver, prostate and lung)

• Vascular and cardiovascular disease

• Reproductive and developmental effects

• Cognitive and neurological effects

• Diabetes and other metabolic disorders

• Neuropathy

Hughes et al. (2011). “Arsenic Exposure and Toxicology:

A Historical Perspective” Toxicological Sci 123(2): 305–332.

HEALTH IMPACTS –

RADON (A IR AND WATER)

21,000 lung cancer

deaths/year in U.S.

100 deaths/yr in NH

Most of the risk from radon in

water is from it’s release to

the air, such as in the shower.

SOME HUMAN-CAUSED CONTAMINANTS

Petroleum components – MtBE (13 ppb MCL)

~23% (1 in 4) with detectable levels in susceptible areas

PFCs - 70 parts per trillion Health Advisory

Sources include Teflon®, Post-It® and other adhesive paper,

Cosmetics, Tyvek®, Gore-Tex® and other synthetic and stain-

resistant materials, fire-fighting foam, etc.

Lead and

Children

SECTION 4

Collaboration between NHDES & DHHS Lead

Poisoning Prevention Program

Testing water in the homes of lead poisoned children when a

child’s blood lead level is ≥ 10 µg/dL

New ‘Lead in Drinking Water’ fact sheet:

LEAD OUTREACH & EDUCATION 2016

• New website NHDES “Lead in Drinking Water”

http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/dwgb/lead-drinking-water.htm

A to Z List L Lead in Drinking Water

• FAQs about Lead in Drinking Water

• Resources for : Schools and Child Care Programs

Parents

Homeowners

Public Water Systems

Outreach to Schools and Child Care Centers

• Coordinated with DOE and DHHS

• Letter to all NH schools and licensed child care centers with

recommendations to sample and follow 3Ts guidance

3Ts = Training, Testing, and Telling

• Identify potential sources

• Check for banned coolers

• Test every faucet used for drinking

• Correct elevated levels

• Communicate

Water Coolers

1988 Lead Contamination Control Act (LCCA)

Required EPA to publish lists of drinking water

coolers, by brand and model, that have lead-

lined tanks and that are not lead-free.

1. Develop a Plumbing Profile and Water Testing Plan

Understand how water enters and flows through your building(s)

Identify potential sources of lead in the plumbing

Identify and prioritize sample sites

2. Test the Water

Collect 250 mL first-draw samples (i.e., samples of stagnant water before any

flushing or use occurs) from water fountains and other outlets used for

consumption (drinking, cooking, ice making)

Samples analysis should be performed by a laboratory accredited in NH for

the analysis of lead in drinking water

3. Fix Problems

4. Communicate

Pinpoint the sources of lead contamination

Follow-up flush sampling

Eliminate particulate lead as a source – clean aerators and screens

Adopt control measures

Routine - aerator cleaning maintenance schedule, use of cold water only for food and

beverage prep, flushing

Short-Term – flushing, provide bottled water, disconnect/remove problem outlets

Permanent – replace problem components, install filters [must be certified by NSF

under Standard 53 (Health Effects) for lead reduction], check electrical grounding,

provide bottled water, disconnect/remove problem outlets

Make public all test results and identify all activities to correct the problems found.

SECTION 5

Testing

Your

Tap Water

WHAT TO TEST – PRIVATE WELLS

NHDES “Standard Analysis” Every 3-5 Years

14 parameters + Radon

Stagnant and Flushed LEAD & COPPER

Additional Tests

- Volatile Organic Chemical (VOCs)

- Gross Alpha Radioactivity

- Arsenic Speciation

- Semi-volatile Organic Chemicals (SOCs)

HOMEOWNER STAGNANT LEAD TESTING

Home fixtures, old solder and lead service lines within private property can leach lead if: Water is aggressive Corrosion control is ineffective There is disturbance of the piping

Applies to both private and public water supplies.

Where to test Accredited Testing Laboratories

NHDES “Private Well” page

SECTION 6

Treatment:

Be Well

Informed

Web Tool

Compares lab results to water standards

Identifies treatment options

Provides information on health effects

Considers multiple contaminants

NHDES “BE WELL INFORMED” GUIDE

User entry

form is

designed

around the

“Standard

Analysis”

PRINTABLE REPORT:

PART 1: “RESULTS SUMMARY”

PART 2:

TREATMENT

“TRAIN”

PART 3: INTERPRETATION, HEALTH, TREATMENT

Recommends appropriate treatment technologies, not products.

Addresses treatment for common contaminants (Standard Analysis)

Considers one or multiple contaminants at varying concentrations, and

well owner feedback (e.g., staining, scaling, taste)

Yields printable PDF reports

Provides links and offers phone support from DES

Homeowners may find the BWI link on their lab reports or on the website

of their accredited lab, or search for “NHDES Be Well Informed”.

Be Well Informed Treatment Recommendations

Dartmouth Private Well Survey (2014)

1 in 4 people who tested their well did not understand the results of their lab report.

1 in 3 did not know what actions to take given their water quality test results.

HOME WATER TREATMENT– POINT OF USE (POU) Treats water at a single tap, examples:

POU carbon filter ->

<- POU Arsenic

Contaminants treated at

Point of Use include:

Arsenic

Uranium

PFCs

Lead particulates

Fluoride

Radium

Chlorine (taste)

HOME WATER TREATMENT – WHOLE-HOUSE

Treats all the water entering

the house, generally

installed in the basement.

Whole House treatment is

necessary for:

Radon

Iron and Manganese

Lead and Copper Corrosivity

Odor - Sulfide

Scaling - Hardness

Acknowledgements

Gail Gettens, Beverly Drouin, Jessica Morton

Lou Barinelli, Wendy Locke, Tina Wells

Laurie Rardin, Kathrin Lawlor

Christine Bowman, Amy Hudnor

Amy Rousseau, Sarah Pillsbury

Questions