February 4, 2016

Flint Plumbers Band Together

SOURCE: THE MICHIGAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL/FACEBOOK

This past Saturday, more than 300 plumbers from the area banded together for a coalition in Flint, MI to help residents devastated by the recent lead contamination to their water supply. Many of the town’s residents had existing faucets in their homes that could not accommodate the filters needed to mitigate the excess lead in their water. Thanks to the donations from members of Plumbing Manufacturers International, the volunteering technicians had the necessary supplies to retrofit 1,100 homes free of charge.

We applaude American Standard Inc., BrassCraft Manufacturing Co., Delta Faucet Co., Fluidmaster Co., Kohler Co., Moen Inc. and Speakman Co., as well as the 300+ skilled technicians for seeing a need and rising to the challenge.

Do I have to worry about water contamination in my community?

Aging infrastructure should be a concern for any homeowner; but you shouldn’t panic. While many of New Jersey’s underground pipelines were built with lead products, rarely does a catastrophe of this level occur. Trace levels New Jersey has strict water testing regulations in place (at a state and local level) to protect from this level of concerning contamination. When a main or pipe system needs replacement, the state now replaces infrastructure pipes and jointing with materials and techniques that are lead-free.

What about water contamination inside my home pipe system?

If your home was built before 2005, you may have trace amounts of lead in your pipe systems and joint materials. If you are concerned with possible water contamination from lead or other contaminates, we offer testing services for all contaminations. Remember, water typically contains trace amounts of contaminates that, at a safe amount, are not harmful. To learn more about lead in drinking water, click here to read New Jersey’s Lead in Drinking Water Fact Sheet.