LISLE, Ill. – As replacement of lead service lines across the country continues to see delays, the Water Quality Association recommends the utilization of certified water filtration products as a cost-effective solution to reducing lead contamination in homes immediately.
Investing in the nation’s water infrastructure is an important initiative that has received billions of dollars, but it will also take years to complete and is still severely underfunded. A group of 15 U.S. Senators this week asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to require that all lead lines and pipes be replaced in the next decade.
In the meantime, communities will still need to look for ways to ensure they are providing clean drinking water. U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) has been urging for more immediate solutions such as water filters.
“We believe certified point-of-use devices such as pitchers and filters are a highly effective and relatively inexpensive means of treating drinking water with lead contamination,” said WQA Associate Executive Director of Technical Programs Tom Bruursema. “We applaud efforts by Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi to encourage the use of filters for Chicago-area residents with lead contamination in their drinking water.”
Drinking water that meets federal guidelines for safety when it leaves the treatment facility travels through miles of pipes and fixtures on its way to homes, and lead can leach from lead service connections, from lead solder used in copper piping, and from brass fixtures. Certified home water treatment products offer an immediate solution for lead reduction, especially for low-income residents, schools, and other vulnerable groups.
Unfortunately, drinking water issues expand well beyond urban areas, and often rural communities are left with a fraction of the funding to address these problems. To help assist these communities, the Water Quality Association has helped introduce the Healthy Drinking Water Affordability Act, also known as the Healthy H2O Act, in both the House and Senate.
The bill, which has received bipartisan support, would authorize a new grant program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture that would cover costs of water quality testing and the purchase, installation and maintenance of POU and whole house point-of-entry water filtration products certified by an ANAB-accredited body. Funding would go directly to individuals, licensed child-care facilities, non-profits, and local governments in rural communities.
More information is available at wqa.org/healthyh2o.
WQA is a not-for-profit trade association representing the residential, commercial, and industrial water treatment industry. WQA’s education and professional certification programs have been providing industry-standardized training and credentialing since 1977. The WQA Gold Seal certification program has been certifying products that contribute to the safe consumption of water since 1959. The WQA Gold Seal program is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). WQA publishes a consumer-friendly website, BetterWaterToday.org.
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