It was a controversial move when Madison, Wis., decided to replace all its lead pipes in 2001. But that decision put the city ahead of the curve — allowing it to avoid the lead water contamination that is plaguing cities like Flint, Mich., now. Madison started using copper instead of lead water pipes in the late 1920s. The bulk of the lead lines were located in the older part of the city, which is downtown near Wisconsin's state Capitol. Sue Bauman, the city's mayor from 1997 to 2003, lives there now. "I remember one day, one of my mayoral aides came in and said he had met with the water utility and there was this issue about these lead pipes, and I'm like, 'What?' EPA released its lead and copper rule in 1991, setting limits on the concentration of lead and copper in drinking water. A year after that, the city's water utility learned that 10 percent of the samples from the city's water showed higher levels of lead than the EPA allowed. That was also the case five years later. Before Flint, Lead-Contaminated Water Plagued Schools Across U.S.

Following the rule's adoption, chemical engineer Abigail Cantor started testing the water after it was treated with phosphate that authorities recommended they use to prevent lead from leaching into water. But what she found was shocking. "[I] found that the lead increased four times over the untreated water using the highest recommended phosphate product," Cantor says. She says other additives created even more problems, but city officials worried that the chemicals added to prevent corrosion could cause algae and weeds in the city lakes because of excess nutrients and water runoff. "So I went to the management at the water utility and said, 'You can't use these recommended chemicals, and there's no other. You just have to get rid of the lead pipes,' " she says. Eliminating Lead Pipes Not An Easy Process Joe Grande, the city utility's water quality manager, says there was skepticism and concerns about cost. "There was tremendous pushback from homeowners," Grande says. Legally, the water utility only had to pay for the portion of the lead service lines that ran from the city's water main up to a home's or business's property line.

But Grande says Madison also wanted those residents to replace the other half of the lead line. Gov. Snyder's Sweeping Plan For Flint Water Crisis Gets A Reality Check "Studies have shown that if you only do a partial replacement, [where] the utility comes and replaces their portion of the service, that there is no improvement in lead levels in the water and it actually could be worse in the short term," he says. Shower Curtains 74 LongGetting approval from regulators and lawmakers took years and the battle over costs was extensive. Diy Distressed Wood Mirror FrameFor nearly 6,000 property owners, it meant about a $1,300 plumbing bill. Ac Unit Locking CapsMadison reimbursed half of that cost. It took the city 11 years and $15.5 million in all to remove 8,000 lead water pipes.

Grande says samples of Madison water still show that lead is present, but the levels are well below EPA limits. "That's coming from solder, that's coming from brass fittings [and] also coming from fixtures as well," he says. Nevertheless, Bauman calls the Madison lead pipe removal program a success and says the city made the right decision. "It was a forever solution, and if you looked at the cost of adding chemicals to the water system, to the water supply forever compared with the one-time cost of replacing over time, you were better off," Bauman says. Now as communities pay much closer attention to the pipes that bring water into homes, at least one other city — Lansing, Mich. — is following Madison's lead by replacing all its lead service lines. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said Wednesday the full replacement of the Flint’s lead pipes is not imminent despite the ongoing crisis of city’s lead-poisoned tap water. Environmental and civil rights groups filed a lawsuit earlier in the day demanding the prompt replacement of all lead pipes in Flint’s water system at no cost to customers.

Snyder didn’t rule at eventually replacing the lead service lines leading from water mains, but said it’s a longer-term consideration. Virginia Tech professor Marc Edwards, who originally helped expose the lead in Flint’s water, was hired to oversee water testing. Edwards’ discovery was initially met with skepticism from state regulators leading to prolonged efforts to get the crisis under control. "There absolutely is a trust issue," Snyder said during a news conference with state and local officials who announced more plans to address the city's crisis. The Legislature is expected to direct $28 million in additional funding toward Flint on Thursday. Mayor Karen Weaver said residents should not have to pay for the water "they did not and are not using." Emergency budget legislation approved Wednesday by a Senate committee includes $3 million to help Flint with unpaid water bills. "I was glad that the governor said these are just first steps because I'm asking for a staircase," she said.

Flint residents are unable to drink unfiltered tape water and tests have shown high lead leavels in some children’s blood. While under state financial management, the city switched its water source to the Flint River but without controlling corrosion. That caused lead to leech into the water for a year and a half and contributed to the spike in child lead exposure before state and officials fully acknowledged the problem in early October. It remains unclear how badly the lead service lines were damaged by the river water. While Snyder's administration has estimated it could cost up to $55 million to repair some 15,000 pipes, he cautioned that more study is needed. "A lot of work is being done to even understand where the lead services lines fully are," Snyder said. "The short-term issue is about recoating the pipes (with chemicals) and that will be based on third-party experts saying the water is safe. It's a lot of work to take out pipes, to redo all the infrastructure."

The groups’ lawsuit expresses doubt about whether the city can handle optimal corrosion treatment when it switches to another new water source later this year. The suit is seeking a ruling to force state officials to fix alleged violations of the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act, including failure to properly treat the water for corrosion, test it for lead and notify residents of results and accurately report if the correct sample sites are being selected. "It's essentially asking the government to do its job," said Wayne State University assistant law professor Noah Hall. "There doesn't seem to be any unit or level of government that didn't screw up here." The suit was filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council on behalf of citizens, along with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, the Concerned Pastors for Social Action and Melissa Mays, a Flint resident. At least three other suits have been filed since the crisis was exposed in the fall. Two seek class-action status and financial compensation;

another asks a judge to declare that users do not have to pay their water bills. Snyder also announced Wednesday that a close adviser, Flint native Rich Baird, would run a new state office in Flint. He also convened the first meeting of experts on a new 17-member committee to deal with what he called the "terrible tragedy." Later, during a 50-minute town-hall style telephone call with nearly 8,000 listeners, Snyder told a questioner about 200 Flint children with elevated blood-lead levels have been identified. He said more kids need to be tested, though. Sadly, the Flint water crisis might not be only contained in the one Michigan city. A Bridge Magazine expose, published in the Detroit News, revealed that high-lead levels were reported in a higher percentage of children in Grand Rapids, Detroit, Saginaw, Muskegon and Holland among several other cities in Michigan. A congressional hearing on the crisis in Flint is scheduled for Feb. 3. Other witnesses Lawrence hopes to hear from are Michigan Environmental Quality Director Dan Wynant, EPA Regional Director Susan Hedman, Hurley Medical Dr. Mona Hanna-Atissha, Mayor Weaver and Professor Edwards.