Metro Water Services locates abandoned lead pipes in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Lead is incredibly harmful to your health, yet trace amounts of it can still leach from my faucet and yours.

If you live in an older home, chances are it is made of lead. One of the most common sources of lead in drinking water is the pipe that connects the plumbing to the main water line.

When I read that the Environmental Protection Agency had asked water companies to locate these lead pipes, I asked Metro Water Services if I could join in.

Using portable XRF metals analyzers, contractors receive readings of pipe materials on private properties, providing material breakdowns within a second and with pinpoint accuracy, according to Metro Water.

“All they have to do is open the meter box, use a metal analyzer and put it on the pipe itself. It will tell them what the material is,” Sonia Allman said. “It’s incredibly accurate. It will tell you what the percentage of nickel is and any other metal material is.”

This inventory meets requirements set forth in the EPA’s revised 2021 Lead and Copper Rule. According to the White House, more than 9 million Americans receive their drinking water through lead service lines.

In Nashville, the city phased out the use of lead in its water supply in 1975 and in its private supply in 1979. A federal lead ban was implemented in 1986.

According to Allman, there is no lead in the drinking water leaving the treatment plant. Metro Water also has an aggressive corrosion control program that tries to prevent lead from leaching into the drinking water. Metro Water uses a mixed solution of food-grade phosphate in the finished water, which bonds to the walls of the pipes, creating a protective barrier.

“We want to make sure our community is safe and healthy. … We want to make sure we keep these levels extremely low. The action level will probably be lowered with the new EPA proposals. That doesn’t concern us because we’re already that low,” Allman said.

Not only will this data be sent to the Environmental Protection Agency, but Metro will make it available to property owners after October 16, when the submission deadline is.

Because you can’t see, taste or smell lead in water, testing is the only way to determine if harmful amounts of lead are present in your drinking water.

Remembering Eudora Boxley, a pioneer of television cooking at WLAC’s early days

I love Forrest’s stories about the history of NewsChannel 5 as we celebrate our 70th anniversary. Here’s a story I didn’t know until recently. Eudora Boxley hosted a live cooking show in the early days of the station. She may have been the first black person on NewsChannel 5 and may have been one of the first African-American women to host a televised cooking show anywhere in the country. It wasn’t until her grandson contacted me that I heard about Mrs. Boxley. Luckily, I was able to connect him with Forrest to learn more about this wonderful gem of NewsChannel 5 history.

-Lelan Statom