LEAD FACT SHEET

      Since its inception in 1881, the Biddeford and Saco Water Company’s (Company) goal has been to produce the safest and highest quality water for all its customers. We are proud of our long history of excellent customer service and outstanding water quality. This fact sheet has been prepared to inform you about the provisions of the US EPA Lead and Copper Rule, our corrosion control practices, and the water quality testing we conduct for lead in the drinking water.

      For over 50 years, the Company has maintained a Corrosion Control program to reduce corrosion in our distribution system and customer’s plumbing.

The Lead & Copper Rule

      The US EPA established the Lead and Copper Rule in the early 1990’s to control the dissolution of lead in the nations water supplies. Lead is a common, natural and often useful metal found throughout the environment in lead-based paint, soil, household dust, food, porcelain, and water. Lead builds up in the body over many years and can cause damage to the brain, red blood cells and kidneys.
      The maximum contaminant level (MCL) in drinking water for lead is 50 parts per billion (ppb). The Lead & Copper Rule establishes a lead action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb). The US EPA believes that an effective water utility sponsored corrosion control program can reduce lead residuals in drinking water to below 15 ppb.

      Lead dissolves very slowly in plumbing materials. The rule establishes very strict monitoring protocol so that locations expected to exhibit the maximum concentrations of lead and copper are selected for determination of compliance with the rule.

Distribution System Review &
Sample Location Selection

      The Company, in 1991 conducted a review of over 100 years worth of distribution system records to document that the distribution system was free of lead pipe. We then solicited the support of 60 customer volunteers in our service area. The volunteers were selected because their homes were expected by US EPA to exhibit the greatest lead residuals. Use of lead in plumbing was banned in 1986, therefore homes with plumbing installed between 1982-86 were expected by US EPA to be the most likely to have elevated lead concentrations.

Initial Monitoring

      The initial monitoring was conducted in December 1992. The results showed that our existing corrosion control program was highly effective at controlling both iron and copper corrosion, but was marginal at controlling lead corrosion. Twenty-one out of sixty three sample locations (33 %) had lead residuals greater than the 15 parts per billion (ppb) action level. Only 8% of the samples had no detectable trace of lead. The 95th Percentile (reportable concentration) for lead was 42 ppb.

Corrosion Control Review

      We immediately started a review of our current corrosion control program focusing on how we might minimize lead solubility without compromising other water quality parameters. Several alternative treatment modifications were recommended for evaluation. Our preferred choice was to simply try modifying the dosage of corrosion inhibitor we have been using for years.

      We re-sampled the top ten worst (highest) lead sample locations at approximately six month intervals for the next two years. After each sample collection, we would slightly increase the corrosion inhibitor dosage, wait, and then repeat the cycle.

The Trends?

Before
Modifications		 After
Modifications
% of locations with no lead detected 8% 83%
Reportable lead concentration 42 ppb 9 ppb

Remarks:

      Obviously, the water quality has improved dramatically since we began this project in 1992. Remember, all our sample locations should represent the worst of the worst sample locations in our entire distribution system.

      This improvement does not come without significant costs. Annual costs for this corrosion control program are in excess of $25,000, but we believe (and feel that you will agree) this is money well spent.

     Steps You can take to reduce your potential exposure to lead:

  1. Flush your system. Let the water run from the tap before using it for drinking or cooking any time the water in a faucet has gone unused for more than six hours. Flushing the tap means running the cold water faucet until the water gets noticeable colder, usually 15-30 seconds.
  2. Use only cold water for cooking and drinking. Hot water can dissolve more lead more quickly than cold. If you need hot water, draw water from the cold tap and heat it on the stove.
  3. Remove loose lead solder and debris. Remove loose lead solder and debris from the plumbing materials installed in newly constructed homes, or homes with recently replaced plumbing by periodically removing faucet strainers (airators) and flush out any debris that has accumulated over time.
  4. Identify and Replace lead materials with lead free ones. If your copper pipes are joined with lead solder that has been installed illegally since it was banned in 1986, notify the plumber who did the work and request that he or she replace the lead solder with lead-free solder.
  5. Have an electrician check your wiring. If grounding wires from the electrical system are attached to your pipes, corrosion may be greater. Check with a licensed electrician or your local electrical code enforcement officer to determine if your wiring can be grounded elsewhere. Do not attempt to change the wiring yourself because improper grounding can cause electrical shock and fire hazards.

      For more information please feel free to contact the Biddeford and Saco Water Company at 282-1543. State approved laboratories that you can call to have your water tested for lead: