As concerning amounts of contaminants are found in drinking water systems – whether it be “forever chemicals” or lead from corroding pipes – the Environmental Protection Agency has imposed the first national, legally enforceable drinking water standard in the nation.
This would reduce levels of contaminants but come at a cost of replacing and upgrading pipes. PFAS – or polyfluoroalkyl forever chemicals – are estimated to contaminate dozens of public drinking water systems in 86 Massachusetts communities since, posing risks of thyroid disease and kidney cancer, according to experts. Lead is another problem, especially in buildings and homes with lead pipes or plumbing that uses a type of solder containing the heavy metal, creating risks for young children and pregnant women and others. Lead is a dangerous neurotoxin and there is no safe level of exposure, according to the EPA; lead can impair mental and physical development, and cause irreversible damage to the brain, in kids, and it can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, decreased kidney function, and cancer in adults.
To find out more about the risk in water systems, the Sampan spoke with Kiera Alventosa, an environmental health organizer for Clean Water Action, an environmental advocacy group. Clean Water Action is collaborating with Chinese Cultural Connection, a non-profit aimed at supporting the Asian community in Malden. The two hosted a bilingual information session earlier this month.
Sampan: Has this problem of lead in drinking water and elsewhere disproportionately affected communities of color? If so, why?
Kiera: Lead in drinking water is an environmental injustice that disproportionately impacts communities of color and low-income communities. This is, in part, due to the history of redlining, in which government-sponsored housing corporations racially discriminated against communities of color in distributing federally backed loans in certain neighborhoods. The history of redlining continues to be felt today in terms of housing quality, and results in an uneven burden of dealing with older homes and aging lead pipes.
The installation of new lead pipes was banned in 1986. Anyone who is living in a home older than 1986 should check their public water system’s dashboard to see if they have a lead service line. A lead service line is a pipe that delivers water into the home from the water main under the street and is often the greatest contributor to lead in drinking water. As of October, every public water system is required to have a service line inventory posted.
Sampan: Are you satisfied with the measures the (recent) Biden/Harris administration took to regulate lead control? If not, why not?
Kiera: The Biden-Harris administration made unprecedented investments in addressing lead service lines including $15 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and an additional $11.7 billion for drinking water projects. These historic investments continue to make a real difference to communities on the ground through the financing of lead-service-line replacements. We also applaud the fact that the Biden-Harris administration demonstrated a clear priority of distributing resources to Environmental Justice communities, to help communities most impacted by pollution. These investments are just the start of the funding necessary to complete lead service line replacements across the country and ensure the right to safe clean drinking water, and we will continue to advocate for further action by the next administration.
Sampan: How do you feel about President-elected Trump’s pick for EPA head, Lee Zeldin?
Kiera: As someone who grew up on Long Island, with Lee Zeldin as my Congressional Representative, I have concerns about many of his prior environmental stances and how this may impact his ability to protect our environment and public health on the national level. The prior Trump administration sought to remove safeguards to environmental health and worked on behalf of polluting industries to try to deregulate protections that should be rights.
Sampan: Are there adequate resources to inform non-English speaking residents about the dangers of lead in their water?
Kiera: There can always be more resources dedicated to language access equity, particularly for an important public health issue like lead in drinking water. The Clean Water Fund prioritizes information reaching non-English speaking residents and dedicates our resources to achieve this goal. This entails not only robust interpretation and translation for public engagement and educational events but also engaging with multilingual press and media sources. We partner with community groups from the outset who prioritize and celebrate the cultural specificity of each community. This allows multilingual information to reach families through the networks in which they are already connected and results in more effective engagement.
Sampan: On a state level, how does Massachusetts rank when it comes to public water safety? Do you have faith and confidence in Gov. Maura Healey and her administration’s plans for Water safety? How would you like the state to spend its $53.3 million awarded this past October?
Kiera: Massachusetts has some of the highest quality drinking water across the country and maintains stringent standards for water testing of public water systems. Lead enters drinking water from the wearing away of old pipes, not from the source water itself. Therefore, replacing lead service lines and plumbing is the best solution to eliminate lead from drinking water. Gov. Healy and her administration’s plans inspire confidence for water safety through the prioritization of addressing PFAS and lead service line replacements. With increased funding, it is important to see a continued prioritization of Environmental Justice communities.
