ABILENE, Texas ( KTAB/KRBC ) – The city’s new service line inventory map has been implemented, and Abilene residents are starting to notice homes being flagged for galvanized pipes.
In December 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced the revised Lead and Copper Rule to strengthen regulations on lead in drinking water nationwide. Since the start of the EPA’s lead and copper monitoring program, the City of Abilene has consistently kept lead levels well below the regulatory threshold without exceeding the lead action level.
INTERACTIVE MAP: Could your Abilene home have lead-prone pipes?
However, there are some locations throughout Abilene on the new service map that indicate a home may have galvanized pipes. Though that doesn’t mean lead, some of the side effects from galvanized pipes have the potential to produce harmful effects. At the most recent city council meeting the Director of Water and Utilities for the City of Abilene, Rodney Taylor, addressed council on these findings and the risks of galvanized pipes.
“Galvanize has a unique characteristic in that it will actually plate out lead if there’s lead in the water passing through the pipe. Taylor explained that those lead molecules can latch onto the galvanized surface within the pipe and then re-release under certain water chemistry characteristics,” Taylor explained.
Some of the risks associated with lead introduced into the human body include kidney damage, reproductive complications, and even brain damage, with children being more susceptible to harm. Knowing that galvanized pipes potentially have small amounts of lead, KTAB/KRBC sought out the opinion of a local plumber to get a professional opinion on how they address this issue. Stephen Torrez, owner of Total Quality Plumbing, spoke to their procedure when they discovered a property had galvanized pipes…