Lead in pipes is precautionary tale

The ripple effects of Flint, Michigan — where a change of water supply caused water pipes to corrode and leach lead into the drinking water — are still expanding almost 10 years later, thanks in large part to a federal campaign to ensure clean drinking water everywhere.

Cloquet is not Flint, but changing laws and standards around drinking water led to a mailing from the city of Cloquet to 2,100 residents last week about water lines and the potential for lead.

Noting that the letters caused some alarm and lots of questions, public works director Caleb Peterson stressed that the letters do not say there is an issue with the water.

“The new rule that the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) passed a year or two ago, requires all public water utilities to go through this process, starting with an inventory of service lines and letting residents know those results if you have galvanized or lead lines,” Peterson said. “We don’t have any lead lines, just galvanized. It’s nothing to do with standards or failing standards, it’s all about risk.”

The Cloquet letters were required and meant to inform residents that the water service line connecting their home to the water main is either made of galvanized material that may have absorbed lead, or an unknown material that may contain lead. Again, the city has found no lead service lines.

As required by the EPA, the two-page letters contain advice to limit or reduce lead in drinking water, health effects of lead exposure, ways to test water or blood for elevated lead levels and news that the city will apply for funding to replace lines. Peterson said the city will apply for funds in the spring, in the next round of grant funding.

In the meantime, Peterson said people can take some easy steps if they’re worried about their water line.

“From my understanding, it can be as simple as a Brita filter pitcher or water softener, but the easiest way doesn’t require investment in a filter,” Peterson said. “The way we test, water has to be stagnant in line for 6-8 hours. If you’re concerned, let your water run for a minute in the morning, and you’ll be getting fresh water from the main — what you’re doing is flushing that three-quarter-inch line that’s 50-feet long where water sat all night.”

Peterson also said people shouldn’t use hot water in cooking, because that’s going through the water heater.

Galvanized lines

The city letter stated that a two-year effort to research available information found the following service lines in Cloquet: 365 galvanized; 1,962 unknown material; 1,330 non-lead, and zero lead pipes.

Galvanized service lines that previously connected to a lead pipe or connector may have absorbed lead, and could release that lead into drinking water over time. According to the EPA, all galvanized service lines should be replaced in the next 10 years. To check your line, enter your address into maps.umn.edu/LSL/.

As for the unknown lines, those are service lines in which the pipe material was not able to be identified through research of documents, maps, permits etc. Peterson said. It’s not that they’re keeping anything secret, as alleged by a couple social media posts.

“We have to have documentable evidence in order to classify a line,” Peterson said. “For those ‘unknowns’ we may have documents that don’t meet the EPA standards.”

When the city replaced the water meters a couple years ago, workers documented every home they visited, about 3,700 in all, Peterson said.

“If you look at the history of how Cloquet was built, when the city put in water mains, they didn’t extend lines to each lot. Homeowners put in the service lines,” he said. “If there’s not galvanized in the house, the only way it would be galvanized in the street is if the homeowner replaced the private side later. That’s unlikely and also we would probably have records of that.”

The city has not found any private or public lead pipes. However, Peterson said any plumbing has a certain amount of lead in it unless it was built in the last 10 years with lead-free fittings.

Water quality

Peterson stressed that the city tests its water regularly and lead is not an issue. City testing in 2023 showed low levels of lead in the drinking water, at 3.45 ppb (the EPA’s action level is 15 ppb).

Peterson said he’d received results for the 2024 city water tests Wednesday morning, before talking with the Pine Knot New. As usual, the results for lead were well within health standards.

“We have to pick 30 of the highest risk homes each year and test for lead,” he said. “They were all within [required health] standards.”

In 2023, one of the 30 homes failed the initial round of testing, then passed a follow-up test. Peterson didn’t know what happened there. Results from 2023 are available here: http://www.cloquetmn.gov/departments/public-works/drinking-water-report.

“If you’re concerned, by all means get your water tested,” Peterson said. “But our testing over the past 20 years indicates there’s not a lot of reason to be concerned.”

He encourages people who received letters about galvanized lines or who are otherwise concerned about their water quality to call the city at 218-879-6758 for more information and to get on a list of homes to be tested.

The city usually tests about 30 homes a year at no charge, but that number may increase, depending on federal requirements and/or funding. Homes with a water filter or water softener don’t currently qualify, because those reduce lead already.

Residents who don’t want to wait can pay for private testing. A city FAQ sheet suggests using Pace Analytical in Duluth for testing, at 218-727-6380. Cost of a test is $275 and would be paid by the homeowner when they drop-off a sample. Customers must use the collection sample provided by Pace; those can be picked up free at the West Duluth business at 4730 Oneota St. during business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. A Pace spokesperson said tests include lead as well as copper, manganese, nitrite, nitrate and both E. coli and coliform bacteria, as recommended by the Minnesota Department of Health.

“The state or EPA will always tell you to use an accredited lab — in our area, Pace is it,” Peterson said.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, the main way to come in contact with lead in Minnesota is through lead-based paint in homes built before 1978, but there are many other avenues. Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects, including damage to the brain, kidneys and nervous system. It can also cause decreases in IQ and attention span for infants and children, or worsen existing learning or behavior problems. Adults can have increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and kidney or nervous system problems.

Replacing lines

Ultimately, replacing the service line is the safest option for folks with galvanized lines in Cloquet.

The fact that Cloquet doesn’t have any lead pipes in its system may be a negative in terms of qualifying for a share of the $15 billion in federal funding to replace lead pipes across the country. The EPA is requiring that galvanized lines also be replaced, so Peterson is optimistic the city will eventually get funding. The earliest the public works director expects this may happen is summer of 2026.