WASHINGTON, DC, JANUARY 12, 2017 -- Nearly two dozen environmental, health, consumer and water utility groups have joined forces to help communities replace lead service lines.
The Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative is a cohort or agencies, including the Environmental Defense Fund and 23 national public health, water utility, environmental, labor, consumer, housing, and state and local governmental organizations to help communities develop and implement voluntary programs to eliminate lead water pipes.
The Collaborative has released an online toolkit, including a roadmap for getting started; suggested replacement practices to identify and remove lead service lines; policies that federal and state leaders could adopt to support local efforts; and additional resources.
Members of the Collaborative include the American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association, Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, Blue Green Alliance, Environmental Defense Fund, National Association of Water Companies, National Rural Water Association, and the Water Research Foundation, among others.
A USA TODAY Network investigation recently found excessive levels of lead in almost 2,000 water systems spanning all 50 states.
"The primary source of the toxin is old lead water pipes, and communities and homeowners, especially those in small, rural communities, have struggled with the cost of replacing them," an article released by the news network said today.
The creation of the Collaborative "is a recognition it's going to have to be an all-hands-on-deck approach to getting the lead service lines out," Greg Kail, communications director for the American Water Works Association, told USA Today.
Read more here.
