Notices going out to homes with water exposure to lead

by Nathan Arneal
Published 11/6/24

• Properties on list will receive annual notices until lead remedied.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy is on a mission to get rid of all lead water service lines.

Last year the city of North Bend conducted a survey of water lines serving houses and businesses in North Bend, as required by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Systems identified as using lead or galvanized pipes will soon be receiving notices from the city of North Bend that their water pipes are unhealthy and should be replaced. People who replied “unknown” to the water pipe survey or did not reply at all will also be receiving the notices, which were written by and required by the EPA.

North Bend City Clerk Theresa Busse said she will soon be sending out notices to 145 property owners in North Bend. Of those, three said their water service lines include lead, 85 use galvanized pipes, 42 said they didn’t know what their water service pipes were made of and 15 did not reply to the survey.

The EPA will require these notices be sent out annually until the property removes itself from the list by replacing the lead or galvanized pipes, or for the unknown and non-respondents, informing the city that it does not have lead or galvanized pipes.

Using lead or galvanized water service lines was banned in 1988, so any house that was built or had its water lines replaced after that date should not be on the list.

The notices say that “exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span... Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure and kidney or nervous system problems.”

The notices also list tips for reducing exposure to lead in drinking water if you have lead pipes or do not know if you have lead pipes.
Pipes made of galvanized material, while not necessarily made of lead themselves, have shown the ability to absorb lead that can then be transfered into drinking water.

Each June, the city of North Bend will be required to submit a progress report to the NDEE on the 145 properties on the list. If homeowners can confirm they have replaced the problem pipes or should otherwise not be included on the list, they are asked to contact Busse at city hall.
Water service lines from each building all the way to the water main are privately owned by the property owners, and it is up to the property owner to replace the service lines. The EPA or NDEE do not provide any funding assistance to make such modifications, and there is no penalty for not doing so other than the adverse health effects.

More information on lead and drinking water can be found here.

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