Lead Chemistry, Communication, and Local Engagement Webinar

January 28, 2025 from 1-4pm ET
A recording will be posted within two weeks of the webinar.
Small Drinking Water Systems Webinar Series

About the Webinar

This extended webinar includes talks from the 21st Annual EPA Drinking Water Workshop held in September 2024. Presentation summaries and speaker bios are provided below.

1. Lead Chemistry 101

This presentation will provide an overview of lead corrosion and release basics. It will cover corrosion oxidation-reduction, scale formation, solubility, and important factors affecting lead release into drinking water. A longer corrosion refresher is available online to watch at your own pace: 2021 EPA Corrosion Training.

Simoni Triantafyllidou, EPA Office of Research and Development. Simoni is an environmental engineer with EPA's Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, Water Infrastructure Division. Her research and technical support efforts revolve around aquatic chemistry, drinking water quality/treatment, corrosion science, inorganic contaminants and sustainable drinking water infrastructure (premise plumbing/distribution systems).

2. Lead and Galvanized Iron Pipe Scales

The analysis of the surface of extracted lead-bearing plumbing materials can accurately identify the solid phases on the pipe surfaces, and thus give insight into the mechanisms that govern solubility and metal release. This presentation describes the steps taken by US EPA’s ORD to obtain scale samples, prepare them for analysis, and the types of information that can be collected from various analytical techniques. Several case studies illustrate how solids analyses can assist in the decision-making process for consultants and water system personnel, including limitations in both the methodology and interpretation of resulting data.

Mike DeSantis, EPA Office of Research and Development. Mike is a physical scientist with EPA's Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, Water Infrastructure Division. He has 19 years of experience on the characterization of corrosion solids and their effects on drinking water quality in lead, copper and iron drinking water piping. Mike holds a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Cincinnati, a M.S. in geology from the University of Idaho, and a B.A. in biology with specialization in marine science from Boston University.

3. Corrosion Control Methods and Approach

This presentation will review best practices for starting and maintaining corrosion control treatment (CCT). CCT does not act alone but must be considered in concert with all water treatments that impact the water quality. Considerations for when to review CCT and how to gather useful system and water quality data will also be discussed.

Jennifer Tully, EPA Office of Research and Development. Jennifer is a physical scientist with EPA's Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, Water Infrastructure Division. She has spent the past eight years examining drinking water pipe corrosion scales and deposits and developing sampling plans to investigate the occurrence of lead in drinking water and the efficacy of certified lead reduction filters. Jennifer holds an M.S. in geology and a B.S. in geology with a minor in biology.

4. Ohio's Lead Strategy and Local Engagement Toolkit

Ohio has been working to put together a cohesive strategy and local engagement toolkit to help the state succeed with an issue that requires successful communication and partnership between the public and water systems: lead service line replacement. This presentation will cover a summary of what we learned and how it could be applied for water systems. In addition, we will display some of the items from our toolkit that were designed to assist small public water systems with communication of lead service line replacement activities.

Justin Burke, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Justin has been an assistant chief in the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s (Ohio EPA) Division of Drinking and Groundwaters since 2021, working with the Compliance, Enforcement, Source Water Protection, and Rule Making teams. He has worked in both the drinking water and environmental restoration programs over his 20+ year career at Ohio EPA. He grew up at several Marine Corps bases as a “military brat” in the 80s and 90s, including several years at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, which is the site of one of the most significant drinking water contaminant exposures in the United States. Justin holds a B.S. in environmental science from the University of Cincinnati.

5. Communicating About Lead: Michigan's 1/5 Sampling, Lead/Galvanized Service Lines, and Public Advisories

Changes to the lead and copper provisions of the Michigan’s Safe Drinking Water Act have improved knowledge about the risk of lead in Michigan’s drinking water. Focusing compliance sampling on lead service lines, including a 5th liter sample, and inventorying all service line materials have increased overall transparency and collaboration in communicating with water systems and their customers about lead in drinking water.

Aislinn Deely, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. Aislinn Deely is an Environmental Quality Analyst in the Lead and Copper Unit within the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. Before working in the Lead and Copper Unit, she worked at the EGLE State Laboratory, running analyses on samples for partial chemistry and lead and copper. Aislinn holds a B.S. in environmental science from Queens College in New York City and an M.S. in environmental biogeochemistry from the University of Michigan.