Springfield on quest to eliminate lead from tap water

The town of Springfield has been working on eliminating all traces of lead from its drinking water supply. A public information meeting on the project was presented on Monday night.



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Springfield on quest to eliminate lead from tap water By STEPHEN SEITZ Special to the Eagle Times 1 hr ago 0 Town of Springfield, Vt. COURTESY SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — The town of Springfield has been working on eliminating all traces of lead from its drinking water supply. Nate Pion, of the Essex Junction-based engineering firm of Aldrich + Elliott, presented a public information meeting on the project at the regular meeting of Springfield’s selectmen on Monday night. He said that the town’s drinking water doesn’t come close to needing any immediate action. The work is being funded by a $45,000 grant from Vermont’s drinking water and groundwater protection fund. “The water department is Springfield has been really diligent,” Pion said. “Out of 20 samples we took, none came up to the action standard. No deficiencies were found.” The Environmental Protection Agency has a standard of 15 parts per billion before it gets concerned. In Springfield, the highest level was 8 ppb, and the lowest 2 ppb. What lead problems Springfield has, Pion said, are in bends and curves in the pipes, which he referred to as “goosenecks.” “We’re working with a piping system that goes back to the 1800s,” he said. “None of the goosenecks we found required urgent action, but we did replace every gooseneck we found with copper piping. I’d say anywhere from 8 to 10 percent of the system has goosenecks.” Even though there is no immediate concern, the town would prefer to have no lead in its water at all. Small children are particularly susceptible. Symptoms may include developmental delay, learning difficulties, sluggishness, vomiting and constipation, among others. To reduce the risk of having lead when you use drinking water, Pion advised letting water run for one or two minutes before using, cooking with cold water, or having a plumber run some tests. In related items, town manager Tom Yennerell announced three new grants: $15,000 from the state Agency of Transportation for a preliminary design to improve drainage on Grove Street (10 percent local match required), $29,931 for a design to remove a dam from Valley Street Brook; and $23,696 to develop a stormwater master plan. advertisement Regarding Grove Street, selectman Peter MacGillivray said he understood that if the road is closed off during work, the local match could be reduced to 5 percent. “I’m just trying to save money,” he said. Too soon, Yennerell said. “We’re a long way from that,” he said. “This is just a preliminary design. For the final project, we may have to go under Clinton Street. The current system is undersized.” The selectmen meet next on Nov. 26.