{"id":1442,"date":"2020-12-14T01:40:26","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T01:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/tracking-reduction-of-water-lead-levels-in-two-homes-during-the-flint-federal-emergency\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T11:43:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T18:43:34","slug":"tracking-reduction-of-water-lead-levels-in-two-homes-during-the-flint-federal-emergency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/tracking-reduction-of-water-lead-levels-in-two-homes-during-the-flint-federal-emergency\/","title":{"rendered":"Tracking reduction of water lead levels in two homes during the Flint Federal Emergency."},"content":{"rendered":"

Quick Answer:<\/strong> Remember the Flint, Michigan water crisis? Studies that tracked lead reduction in homes there during the 2016 federal emergency found that a few key actions really made a difference. They started using orthophosphate again for corrosion control, handed out NSF-certified point-of-use filters<\/a>, and sped up replacing those old lead service lines. Together, these steps brought water lead levels way down from their crisis peaks (some were over 1,000 ppb!) to levels that met or got close to EPA standards. What happened in Flint shows us a clear path for dealing with lead contamination and investing in our water systems to prevent future problems.<\/p>\n

<\/b><\/b>;\u00a0<\/span><\/b>, M.<\/span><\/b>;\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/b>; et al.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

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Flint, MI, faced a federal emergency on January 16, 2016. This was 18 months after they switched to the Flint River as their water source without adding phosphate for corrosion control. To fix the lead-in-water crisis, they took several steps. They reconnected to the original Lake Huron water source and started adding orthophosphate again. They even boosted corrosion control by adding extra orthophosphate. There was a “Flush for Flint” program to help clear out loose leaded sediment from service lines and pipes inside homes. Eventually, they began replacing lead service lines altogether.<\/p>\n

The United States Environmental Protection Agency and Virginia Tech did independent sampling for 37 months, from January 2016 to February 2019. They wanted to see how much lead people were exposed to by testing water from cold kitchen taps at normal flow (about 2-3 liters per minute). They also checked for loose deposits from service lines and home plumbing using high-velocity flushing (about 12-13 liters per minute) from hose bibs. The results showed that high lead levels stuck around for over a year in two Flint homes. Why? Because there was a big buildup of lead deposits. These loose lead deposits kept causing problems until those homes had their lead service lines completely removed. As more places across the country try to save water, we’re likely to see more issues with these “mobile lead reservoirs” in service lines, which is a real health risk. All rights reserved, Elsevier.<\/p>\n

The post Tracking reduction of water lead levels in two homes during the Flint Federal Emergency. appeared first on Facts About Water.<\/p>\n

Source: Water Feed<\/p>\n

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