Thousands of Kingston residents opened their mail recently to see a concerning letter from the Water Department.
“The Kingston Water Department has identified that a part of or the entire length of the service line that delivers drinking water to yor house/building is made of lead”, read some of the letters.
2,711 households have been identified for their use of water pipes made of lead. An additional 2,056 households also received letters, though it has not yet been established whether they too have lead in their pipes. A map of affected areas of Kingston can be found if you navigate this online map.
The letter from the Water Department italicized the health effects of lead noting that exposure to lead in drinking water can result in permanent decreases in IQ and attention span among infants and children, coinciding with learning and behavior problems. Among adults, heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney or nervous system problems can crop up.
Assuming immediate replacement is not possible, the Water Department recommended:
- running the tap to flush the water pipes before drinking, bathing, or doing laundry or dishes
- the use of a certified lead removing water filter
- the regular removal and cleaning of the screen underneath the faucet head, called an aerator
- the use of cold water rather than hot, for drinking, cooking and making baby formula
Mayor Noble Urges Calm
“We know that these letters can be alarming,” Mayor Noble acknowledged. “and we want to reassure residents that precautions can be taken to keep your family’s drinking water safe.”
City resources have yet to be offered to replace lead lines, the condition and upkeep of which is the responsibility of the property owner, but Noble expressed his optimism that “State and Federal funds will be available for homeowners to access to help with this lead line replacement.”
Furthermore, the mayor recommended “contacting an accredited lab that can conduct testing”, if any resident was concerned about lead in their drinking water.
Why Lead in the Water is Bad
Once ingested, the highly toxic metal can impact brain development in children, resulting in permanent decreases in IQ and attention span. It can thwart kidney function in adults, leading to heart disease, high blood pressure and nervous system problems and finally interfere with the production of red blood cells necessary to carry oxygen to all parts of the body, pets included.
Even while the passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1986 banned the use of lead pipe, solder, and flux in the installation or repair of any plumbing in a residential or non-residential facilities which provide water for human consumption, many of the legacy lead pipes have been left buried, still connected to water mains.
But as with lead-based paint, the use of which was banned from use in homes in 1978, the sweet-tasting paint remains, flaking off in millions of homes and apartments. Time takes time and remediation is not cheap.
The delivery of lead service notification letters to potentially affected residents were mandated by the federal government and complying with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead & Copper Rule Improvements, the Kingston Water Department was tasked with identifying possible lead service lines to private property in the city.
For more information on lead in drinking water contact: dohpws@co.ulster.ny.us / 845-340-3010
For more information on having water tested: laboratory@kingston-ny.gov
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