David Edelman, a TOP alum with the help of his students, have written several grants that has furthered their activism and ability test and analyze their school’s water supply. Since being selected as a 2020 Goethe Institut Sustainability Project Winner, students and staff at USA have collaborated with members of the judging panel and have partnered with schools and hip hop artists in Germany to develop new avenues to advance students' advocacy efforts. Some of these are detailed below.
The E.P.A. has said in September 2020 the updated version of the Lead & Copper Act will identify the most at-risk communities and make sure that communities have in place plans to reduce elevated levels of lead. Schools and child care centers, for example, would be required to notify those who use their facilities of elevated lead levels within 24 hours of testing rather than the current 30 days. The rule also would require water utilities to conduct inventories of their lead service pipes and publicly report their locations. Others are not convinced this EPA change would be an improvement. Under the old rule, utilities had to replace some of their lead service lines if they repeatedly tested above the E.P.A.’s action level of 15 ppb. They were given about 14 years for the full replacement. The new rule will give them approximately 33 years to fully replace the service lines.
The E.P.A. has said in September 2020 the updated version of the Lead & Copper Act will identify the most at-risk communities and make sure that communities have in place plans to reduce elevated levels of lead. Schools and child care centers, for example, would be required to notify those who use their facilities of elevated lead levels within 24 hours of testing rather than the current 30 days. The rule also would require water utilities to conduct inventories of their lead service pipes and publicly report their locations. Others are not convinced this EPA change would be an improvement. Under the old rule, utilities had to replace some of their lead service lines if they repeatedly tested above the E.P.A.’s action level of 15 ppb. They were given about 14 years for the full replacement. The new rule will give them approximately 33 years to fully replace the service lines.
In 1993, The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed amending the guideline value for lead in drinking water to 10 µg Pb/L, the parameter Germany uses today. This is lower than the standard of 15 ppb currently set by the EPA in the US back in 1991 with the Lead & Copper Rule. This run was recently amended by the EPA in September 2020 by President Trump’s Administration. Germany has also been more proactive in remediation to ensure drinking water is lead free. While lead pipes for tap water have been prohibited for more than 100 years in south Germany, they continued to be installed in new homes and buildings through the 1970s in the north. Authorities chose to rely on the protective properties of things like lime, which builds up in the pipes and is supposed to prevent the heavy metal from contaminating the water. That was a risky calculation as even small amounts of lead that creep through the protective layers often exceed the strict threshold levels.
Similarly, an estimated 6 million people in America get water delivered through a lead service line. Across the US many buildings still use their original pipes and faucets and as a result lead is found in water as they age and corrode. Federal funding for water improvements has decreased in America by 70% since The Safe Drinking Water Act passed in 1974. The Drinking Water Ordinance of 2001, which took effect in Germany on January 1, 2003, made provisions for a gradual reduction of the lead limit in drinking water by December 1, 2013. All lead pipes had to be replaced by that date. If lead pipes were still in house connection lines or inside buildings, affected consumers had to be notified in writing, even if the limit value for lead was not exceeded. These safety and transparency measures in Germany are much more aggressive then those taken in the US. For instance, in response to the legislation passed in New York State that led to our school’s testing, schools in the state only reported whether a faucet was elevated without reporting measurements to establish severity. NYC decided to publish the measurements above 15 ppb but has failed to publish all the data for faucets testing positive for lead but below 15 ppb.
Similarly, an estimated 6 million people in America get water delivered through a lead service line. Across the US many buildings still use their original pipes and faucets and as a result lead is found in water as they age and corrode. Federal funding for water improvements has decreased in America by 70% since The Safe Drinking Water Act passed in 1974. The Drinking Water Ordinance of 2001, which took effect in Germany on January 1, 2003, made provisions for a gradual reduction of the lead limit in drinking water by December 1, 2013. All lead pipes had to be replaced by that date. If lead pipes were still in house connection lines or inside buildings, affected consumers had to be notified in writing, even if the limit value for lead was not exceeded. These safety and transparency measures in Germany are much more aggressive then those taken in the US. For instance, in response to the legislation passed in New York State that led to our school’s testing, schools in the state only reported whether a faucet was elevated without reporting measurements to establish severity. NYC decided to publish the measurements above 15 ppb but has failed to publish all the data for faucets testing positive for lead but below 15 ppb.
How do Water Safety Standards in Germany Compare To That In The US?
Additionally, stagnant water in unused drinking fountains and sink plumbing during covid related school closures appears to have increased the risk of Legionnaire’s disease in addition to elevated lead levels in drinking water. Currently there is no requirement that schools test for Legionella, nor is there a mandate that districts report if they do find it. After a 2015 Legionnaires’ outbreak in which 10 New Yorkers died and over 100 people became ill, the city began regulating cooling towers. The same year, 12 deaths in Flint, Michigan were linked to a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak, after the city’s water source from a lake to a river without taking proper precautions. Point of Use Filters can be installed to provide a last line of defense against lead and many waterborne pathogens including Legionella.
Interesting Research Facts About Water In Germany:
- Germany, like the US, is one of 187 countries that has potable tap water
- Tap water is the most regulated beverage or food product in Germany
- The tap water is so good that it matches or beats mineral water in terms of safety and taste in random blind testing
- The main concerns with tap water in Germany are nitrates and chromium as trace amounts are found in drinking water samples.
https://tappwater.co/en/can-i-drink-tap-water-in-germany-2/
