SWAMPSCOTT — On Wednesday, Lead and Copper Rule Data Management Lead Ajay Sharma announced that after testing, zero traces of lead were found in the town water supply.
Partnering with Kleinfelder, an engineering consultation firm, the town has been working on updating laws on lead and copper piping in order to comply with regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“The goal is to locate where traces of lead might be in some of these systems, and work to immediately replace those areas,” Sharma said.
He highlighted how the EPA is currently taking inventory of the water systems in towns and cities across the country. This includes keeping track of all state-level EPAs, noting which homes are serviced by a public water supply, and identifying the material used to construct those service lines.
Sharma clarified that there have been difficulties gathering this data in Swampscott, specifically regarding the type of construction material used.
For cases where information on construction materials is lost, Sharma said the EPA requires a notice to be released to the public that educates residents on what these unknown materials could be. Unknown materials are classified into three categories, which are “unknown materials,” “materials possibly containing lead,” or “galvanized requiring replacement,” which means iron may have been downstream of a lead pipe. The EPA aims to replace anything that fits within these three categories.
Sharma also elaborated on the language within the statement that was issued to residents, citing the EPA’s guidelines for delivering sensitive information in cases where all the data may not yet have been collected. Sharma clarified the language is presented in a way that is both straight-forward and educational, but that the phrasing can come across as alarming.
Sharma also discussed a particular regulation, called the Lead and Copper Rule Improvement, which was proposed by the EPA and was finalized on Oct. 8. It aims to reduce exposure to lead by replacing service lines which may be constructed with lead. More consistent testing and communication with residents remain central priorities going forward, Sharma added.
