Perhaps my ignorance is coming through...
How have cities dealt with the problems of lead leaching into drinking water from pipes used pre-1978 (or so)? I'm assuming projects have been undertaken to replace lead pipes with other, non-toxic materials (copper, etc), but is/was this the only alternative? Seems like a huge public works project...
I'm not sure how widespread their use was in the latter half of the 1900s. I thought they were only a problem around the turn of the 1900s, but I could be mistaken.
It was an issue in Madison, Wisconsin a couple years ago. Lead pipes were used into the 1930's, which meant there was a need for retrofitting in many older neighborhoods. The problem was mostly with private laterals, not the city-owned infrastructure, which meant that a majority of the cost was assessed to homeowners. They were very pleased to receive these bills.
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Milwaukee is the same way. There is no special project to remove and replace these mains and laterals. Just the normal capital improvement program based on physical need to replace. And like Madison, the costs are assessed back, so many propoerty owners can't afford the bills, fight the projects, and keep their lead pipes.Originally posted by Cardinal
It was an issue in Madison, Wisconsin a couple years ago. Lead pipes were used into the 1930's, which meant there was a need for retrofitting in many older neighborhoods. The problem was mostly with private laterals, not the city-owned infrastructure, which meant that a majority of the cost was assessed to homeowners. They were very pleased to receive these bills.
My new house has a lead service lateral and some of its original lead pipes. Over time I will propobably update the interior plumbing, but not the 100+ foot long service lateral. The research I have come across indicates its not too bad for adults, and just suggests that if you drink the tap water or use tap water for cooking, run the faucet for a bit to clear the water that was "standing" in the pipes. The fresh water running through will not absorb anything significant.
Wasn't this the cause of the fall of the Roman Empire?
A nuisance may be merely a right thing in the wrong place — like a pig in the parlor instead of the barnyard.
It's been speculated, yes - but ultimately it would have played a small role. The main reason is that the Roman empire lost economic momentum. New conquests and expansion had been keeping the empire afloat, and when that slowed, things decayed very quickly. Near the end of the empire the Romans still had to maintain a mammoth standing army (a drain because these soldiers were not producing, only consuming - regular Romans had to make up the gap), as well as supporting over 200,000 Roman families with the equivalent of welfare (providing grain and other foodstuffs).
Lead pipes were the least of their problems.
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