Get the Lead Out Awareness Campaign

About the Project

The Water Collaborative (TWC) is dedicated to ensuring clean and safe water for all New Orleans residents. Our goal is to educate about lead exposure risks, promote proactive contamination reduction, and advocate for system-wide water quality improvements.

Clean water is essential not only for meeting basic needs but also for protecting public health and improving the quality of life in communities. Every individual deserves access to safe water, free from harmful contaminants.

Together, we can make a difference and ensure that clean water remains a fundamental right for every resident, commuter, and visitor who enters our community.

Objectives

Increase community awareness of health risks linked to lead exposure.
Strengthen connections among community groups, decision makers, and utility leaders.
Improve residents' understanding of their home water pipe composition and federal regulations.
Educate the community about strategies and filters to reduce lead exposure.
Raise awareness about the impact of disruptions on lead pipes and advocate for proactive measures to minimize risks.
Create a secure and equitable water system accessible to every resident of New Orleans.

For questions or concerns regarding this project - email Taya Fontenette at taya@nolawater.org.

The Water Collaborative (TWC) is dedicated to ensuring clean and safe water for all New Orleans residents. Our goal is to educate about lead exposure risks, promote proactive contamination reduction, and advocate for system-wide water quality improvements.

Clean water is essential not only for meeting basic needs but also for protecting public health and improving the quality of life in communities. Every individual deserves access to safe water, free from harmful contaminants.

Together, we can make a difference and ensure that clean water remains a fundamental right for every resident, commuter, and visitor who enters our community.

“There is no safe level of lead in drinking water.”

— U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Background

Lead is a highly toxic metal that can cause a range of serious health issues, particularly in vulnerable populations such as children and pregnant women. Even at low levels, lead exposure can lead to developmental delays, learning disabilities, and behavioral problems. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) addressed this concern by implementing regulations like the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) in 1991, which establishes standards for lead and copper levels in drinking water and mandates water utilities to monitor and treat their water to ensure compliance with safety standards.

Before the 1980s, lead lines were commonly installed for drinking water across the United States, and even though they were federally outlawed, previously installed lines were not required to be removed. Water service lines, responsible for delivering water to individual residences, consist of both private lines owned by residents and main lines managed by the water utility. While water leaving distribution systems is not contaminated with lead, the presence of lead lines can still contribute to contamination within the home. Complete removal and replacement of service lines represent the most effective approach to eliminating lead exposure.

The EPA reported an estimated 266,984 lead service lines in Louisiana in September 2023. Given New Orleans' historic water network, it is likely to bear a significant portion of this burden, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive measures to replace the lead pipes in our community's water supply.

The Water Collaborative (TWC) is dedicated to ensuring clean and safe water for all New Orleans residents. Our goal is to educate about lead exposure risks, promote proactive contamination reduction, and advocate for system-wide water quality improvements.

Clean water is essential not only for meeting basic needs but also for protecting public health and improving the quality of life in communities. Every individual deserves access to safe water, free from harmful contaminants.

Together, we can make a difference and ensure that clean water remains a fundamental right for every resident, commuter, and visitor who enters our community.

2023 Get the Lead Out Campaign

About the Program

New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board (SWBNO) has joined forces with Blue Conduit, a water analytics company, to conduct a complete inventory of the city's pipes, culminating in the creation of a publicly accessible interactive map known as the New Orleans Water Service Line Map. This innovative tool will empower residents by offering insights into the composition of their home water pipes, providing access to pipe inspection details, and offering resources to protect households from the risks of lead exposure. This collaboration comes as the Biden Administration secures the largest single investment in the nation’s drinking water and wastewater systems in history with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, allocating $15 billion to remove lead pipes and $50 billion for clean water infrastructure.

The Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans, in partnership with community organizations Total Community Action and Civic Studio, is leading a corresponding public engagement program through early 2024. This collaborative effort is supported by national environmental organizations – WE ACT for Environmental Justice, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and BlueConduit – as they provide funding and support to connect us with other cities that have done this work, best practices, and technical expertise. The introduction of this map will guarantee that SWBNO complies with the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Revisions well in advance of the October 2024 deadline. Furthermore, it will play an active role in advancing the federal government’s ambitious goal of eliminating lead from the nation's water supply. A key aspect of this endeavor is the unwavering commitment to ensuring equitable distribution, with a primary emphasis on addressing the needs of the most vulnerable and marginalized communities as the top priority. This approach is pivotal in addressing historical disparities and aligns seamlessly with the overarching objective of the project – the establishment of a more secure and equitable water system that is accessible to every resident of New Orleans.

What will it take for our community to feel empowered as part of the decision-making for Lead Service Line replacements?
-NOLA Community Hub

Open Studio Events

Through Open Studios, we shared knowledge, incorporated the voices and creativity of youth into civic dialogue, developed educational resources, and contributed to shaping plans for replacing the city's lead service lines.

EVENTS:
JUN 1 - Treme Recreation Community Center
JUL 17 - Gernon Brown Recreation Center
SEP 14 - Algiers Regional Library

CONTACT

400 Poydras St. Suite 900
New Orleans, LA 70130

THE WATER

COLLABORATIVE

CONTACT

400 Poydras St. Suite 900
New Orleans, LA 70130

THE WATER

COLLABORATIVE

CAREERS

CONTACT

400 Poydras St. Suite 900
New Orleans, LA 70130

THE WATER

COLLABORATIVE

About the Project

Together, we can make a difference and ensure that clean water remains a fundamental right for every resident, commuter, and visitor who enters our community.Objectives

Increase community awareness of health risks linked to lead exposure.

Strengthen connections among community groups, decision makers, and utility leaders.

Improve residents' understanding of their home water pipe composition and federal regulations.

Educate the community about strategies and filters to reduce lead exposure.

Raise awareness about the impact of disruptions on lead pipes and advocate for proactive measures to minimize risks.

Create a secure and equitable water system accessible to every resident of New Orleans.

For questions or concerns regarding this project - email Taya Fontenette at taya@nolawater.org.

Together, we can make a difference and ensure that clean water remains a fundamental right for every resident, commuter, and visitor who enters our community.

“There is no safe level of lead in drinking water.”

— U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Background

Together, we can make a difference and ensure that clean water remains a fundamental right for every resident, commuter, and visitor who enters our community.

2023 Get the Lead Out Campaign

About the Program

What will it take for our community to feel empowered as part of the decision-making for Lead Service Line replacements?-NOLA Community Hub

Open Studio Events

Together, we can make a difference and ensure that clean water remains a fundamental right for every resident, commuter, and visitor who enters our community.

Objectives

What will it take for our community to feel empowered as part of the decision-making for Lead Service Line replacements?
-NOLA Community Hub