Let’s Get the Lead Out!It’s a Team Effort!

A Community united to create a safe, lead-free environment for healthy kids and healthy families

The lead legacy –

Sources of lead in our lives . . . 1. Water Lines

Presented by: Nancy Quirk, Green Bay Water UtilityPresented by: Nancy Quirk, Green Bay Water Utility

2. Lead-based PaintPresented by:

Kathy Janssen, Brown County Public Health Nurse

Nancy Quirk

Green Bay Water Utility Manager

We have great water!

Green Bay Water starts here . . .

Green Bay Water starts here . . .

• Source: Pipes deep in Lake Michigan

• ZERO lead detected in raw source water

• Pumped to our filter plant in Sugarbush

. . . and is continuously monitored by Certified

Water Operator Professionals

• Undergoes a multi-step filtration process

• ZERO lead detected in treated water

• Lead-free water distributed to all

• Then it arrives at your home

How Does Lead Get in My Water?

A. Old lead services from the street to the house

• The last lead service was installed in 1944• The last lead service was installed in 1944

• Currently, approx. 5% of Green Bay customers

B. Lead Solder in pipes in your home

• Banned in Wisconsin in 1984

C. Lead plumbing, including faucets

“What does that mean?”

DefinitionsGBWU = Green Bay Water • GBWU = Green Bay Water Utility

• EPA = Environmental Protection Agency

• PPB = Parts per Billion

Driverlayer.com

How was the lead issue determined?

• Lead service lines installed prior to 1945

• EPA mandated lead testing for all utilities in 1992

• GBWU began testing samples in homes

1992-2010 – Lead levels met the action level requirements • 1992-2010 – Lead levels met the action level requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act

• 2011 – Some samples were found above the action level

How is the GBWU addressing the lead issue?

• Four-Fold Approach1. Water Studies

2. Unidirectional Flushing Program2. Unidirectional Flushing Program

3. Removal of Lead Services

4. Community Education

1. Water Studies

• Working with laboratories and the EPA we have:

A Four-Fold Approach . . .

• Working with laboratories and the EPA we have:

• Determined the source of the issue

• Sought the most effective solutions

2. Unidirectional Flushing• In 2015, the GBWU

completed Unidirectional Flushing of all 440 miles of

A Four-Fold Approach . . .

Flushing of all 440 miles of water main to remove loose particles in the water.

3. Removal of old Lead Services• GBWU has been removing old lead

services for 20 years

A Four-Fold Approach . . .

services for 20 years

• Currently only 5% (1,703) of GBWU customers have lead services

• Goal: To remove ALL lead lines

• Removal is done during street resurfacing projects when possible

How costs are shared . . .

Working together we’ll get this job done!

• If only the UTILITY’S portion of the service is lead, it is the UTILITY’s responsibility.

• If the HOMEOWNER’s portion is also lead, it is the UTILITY’s and the HOMEOWNER’s joint responsibility. Both portions must be replaced at

This is what a Curb Stop looks like

If the HOMEOWNER’s portion is also lead, it is the UTILITY’s and the HOMEOWNER’s joint responsibility. Both portions must be replaced at the same time.

What we’re doing to

off-set costsWe understand everyone has budget concerns and

we are researching ways of reducing costs and

finding supplemental monies

• Contacting U. S. Congress &

State Legislature for help

• City is looking at how they can help

4. Community EducationKnowledge is Power!

A Four-Fold Approach . . .

• Annual “Lead in Drinking Water” Brochure

• Annual Consumer Confidence Report• Annual Consumer Confidence Report

• Biannual Press Releases to media

• Regular Updates on Utility web site &

other social media

• Informational letters & post cards

• Meetings like this!

Until it’s fixed, we need to take care of our community’s kids

Here are some Here are some steps YOU can take to protect your family . . .

�Run your COLD WATER 1 to 2 minutes

for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula

�ALWAYS wash your child’s hands with soap & water

- Before snacks & meals

- After playing outside

Lead absorption increases when there is not enough �Lead absorption increases when there is not enough iron, calcium, or Vitamin C

�Serve foods high in these vitamins & low in carbohydrates

�Boiling will not remove lead

Questions?• If you have questions about the quality of your water please don’t hesitate to call us

• We will post updates as they occur• We will post updates as they occur

• Stay in touch! Our web site is: GBWater.org

Kathy Janssen RN

Brown County Public Health Nurse

What is Lead?

� Lead is a metal found in the environment

� Lead was used in household paint until 1978

� Lead was used in gasoline until the early 1980s

� Lead in some pipes for drinking water until 1986

� Most common sources of lead are in paint in homes built before 1978� Examples are: peeling/chipping paint or dust especially on windowsills, wood

trim, doors or floors

� Other sources: toys, imported products-pottery/ceramics, imported canned goods, imported spices, cosmetics, vinyl mini blinds, lead dust that adults

bring home from jobs that use lead (construction, mechanics, welders, manufacturing batteries) or from hobbies (leaded glass, leaded fishing lures)

LEAD IS A TOXIN (Poison) to humans and animals

How does lead get into the body?

• Ingestion-(hand to mouth behaviors)-most common source of exposure for children.

Children absorb 50% of lead they ingest- 5 x’s more than adults

• Inhalation- (breathing in) lead dust is easily absorbed through the lungs.

• Lead dust is not absorbed through the skin

• Children especially under the age of 6 are more vulnerable to effects of lead

• →→

• →

Lead dust settles on surfaces that young children can reach-windowsills, floors

Young children put their toys and hands in their mouths and swallow lead dust or chips

Lead is absorbed and circulates in the bloodstream

It is then absorbed from the blood into the organs (Brain, bone, muscle & kidney, etc.)

Known Health effects from lead exposure

Children: • Harmful to a child’s brain and nervous system• Reduced IQ• Delayed growth and development• Learning disabilities• Speech problems• Hearing Loss• Kidney damage• Digestive problems• Digestive problems• Behavior and attention disorders i.e. ADD/ADHD• Most importantly, it can cause irreversible damage to the central nervous

system (brain) at very high levels, lead exposure can cause seizures, coma and death

As teens:• School disciplinary problems, higher high school dropout rates, depression,

juvenile delinquencyAs Adults:Fertility Problems, pregnancy-higher rate of miscarriage, lower birth rate.Criminal activity, more likely to develop kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease

� The only way to know if a child is lead poisoned is to have the child’s blood tested.

The child should be tested for lead at ages 1 and 2 years old and also if has never been tested before. (testing done through Doctor’s office, WIC)

• Lives in home built before 1978• Visits a daycare/relatives home built before 1978• Home/daycare has chipping/peeling paint• Sibling is lead poisoned• Adults in home works with lead

• Children from low-income families are at greater risk for lead poisoning, largely • Children from low-income families are at greater risk for lead poisoning, largely because they have limited options for selecting housing.

• In WI in 2014, only 62% of 1 year-olds, 48% of 2-year-olds, and 16% of children aged 3-5 year-olds who were not previously tested were tested.

• Blood lead levels of 5 ug/dL and above are considered elevated. However, no level of lead in the blood is safe.

Green Bay

• In 2014: 17 children had lead levels of 5 ug/dL or greater

• Two addresses had lead service lines the others did not

• In 2015: 19 children had lead levels of 5 ug/dL or greater

• Three addresses had lead service lines the others did not

• WI Statute 254: If the child’s lead level would reach 20 ug/dL or more, a lead hazard investigation is conducted to accurately identify lead hazards in the home.

The most common household lead hazards are lead-based paint, varnish, lead dust and contaminated soil.

You can test for Lead

RENOVATION/REPAIR

• Repair work on a Pre-1978 home/building can create a Lead dust/chip Hazard.

• Owner-Occupants need to learn lead-safe work practices First!

• Read the EPA Fact Sheet: Use a Lead-Safe Certified Contractor!

DISCLOSUREDISCLOSURE

• Landlords must provide Lead-Disclosure information to tenants at time of signing the lease. It’s the Law!

• Homeowners must provide Lead-Disclosure information to Prospective buyers. It’s the Law!

**The MOST important step is to prevent lead exposure before it occurs!Long-term effects of lead poisoning on a child, family, and the community are profound!

RESOURCES

Brown County Health Department Website- http://co.brown.wi.us

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – http://www.epa.gov/lead/protect-your-family-exposures-lead

Wisconsin Department of Health Services- http://dhs.wisconsin.gov/leadWisconsin Department of Health Services- http://dhs.wisconsin.gov/lead

Housing and Urban Development (HUD)- http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead

National Center for Healthy Housing- www.nchh.org

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)- www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead

U.S. Consumer product Safety Commission (CSPC)- http://www.cpsc.gov