Augustana students learn by helping Rock Island resident identify lead pipes

Jun 21, 2023

The EPA announced its most accurate count yet on how many lead pipes carry water into homes across the United States.

Augustana College students spent the summer door-knocking in Rock Island neighborhoods — hoping to discover whether residents are drinking out of copper, galvanized or lead pipes.

Thanks to a partnership with the City of Rock Island, students working with Augie’s Upper Mississippi Center (UMC) and Center for the Advancement of Community Health have been out canvasing since June, encouraging folks to complete a questionnaire about the material of their drinking pipes.

Rock Island resident Beth VerBeke talks with Erik Bergren and Adriana Reyes juniors at Augustana College as they go door to door canvassing Rock Island neighborhoods, Tuesday, to encourage residents to complete a questionnaire about the material of their drinking water pipes.

This project aims to expedite compliance with Illinois’ Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act, which requires cities to inventory its water service line materials, implement a lead pipe replacement plan and coordinate funding to sustain this work.

To UMC Director Dr. Michael Reisner, it also allows students to apply classroom concepts to a real-world problem — a complicated one, at that.

“You get people that won’t answer their door, so how do overcome those barriers?” he said. “To get them to understand that process of research, and to do it with the community, is really cool — because not everyone’s on the same page.”

"Water service lines" refer to the underground pipes that connect a building's internal plumbing system to a source of drinking water — most commonly, a city's water main.

To look up Rock Island's water mains, visit https://www.rigov.org/873/Water-Main-Locations.

According to the city's website, 5 million gallons of water daily are pumped from the Mississippi River to Rock Island's Water Treatment Plant at 2215 16th Ave. for processing.

This process supplies 220 miles of water mains and 2,000 fire hydrants across Rock Island.

For more information on Rock Island's water supply, visit https://www.rigov.org/866/Water.

Learning how to adapt and “think on your feet” when applying knowledge to practice is one of the best skills a student can learn, said UMC program manager Dr. Jenny Arkle.

“It’s an incredibly unique opportunity for the students,” she said. “These skills are transferrable — they can take to any grad school or job.”

Case in point, senior environmental studies major Zach Horve said canvasing helped him with public speaking.

“I’ve kind of grown a lot with that,” he said. “I definitely feel a sense that I’m doing something good.”

For residents who open their doors, like Beth VerBeke, Augie students even offer to assist with checking their household’s pipes.

“If they’re giving back, then I’m good with it,” said the 12-year Rock Island resident. “Learning that I had copper pipes was pretty cool, but, just the Augustana students coming out here is very cool.”

For resident who don’t answer, students leave a card with a link to the questionnaire, which is available alongside other notable information at www.rigov.org/lead.

Since lead is a neurotoxin, Horve said households should at least be aware what its water lines are made of.

“Just for the peace of mind, especially if you have small children,” he said. “Even if it’s not lead, it’s still very important.”

Junior geography major Adri Reyes — who minors in environmental studies and GIS — said community outreach was the most rewarding part of the project.

“That’s a big thing in the career I want to go into,” she said. “So it’s really good that we’re going out and helping other people, spreading the importance of having good drinking water in your home.”

Reyes recommend a UMC internship or research experience to other students.

“We’re getting tons of experience that we can use later for our senior research projects,” she said. “This is definitely helping us.”

Joining the canvas on Tuesday were college President Dr. Andrea Talentino and Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Dianna Shandy.

Talentino hopes the project helps Augie students gain a sense of “local commitment.”

“We live here, and we’re connected to these people,” she said, also noting the challenges cities may face when seeking to enforce state mandates. “It’s ‘easy’ to pass laws, right? It’s sometimes harder to make sure those demands come to life — so how can you help your government and elected officials make sure that works, in ways that are good for everybody?

In a prior media release, Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms said the city is “proud” to partner with Augie on the project.

This fall, Reisner said the project will pivot to data-modeling.

“If we’re lucky, we’re going to get somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 responses,” he said. “That still leaves 8-to-10,000 unknown, so that’s where we’ll use GIS (geographic information systems) and predictive modeling to try and (spatially) predict what we think the remaining lines in those areas are.”

Those numbers will frame Rock Island’s replacement plan, Reisner said, which will set the scope for funding.

In April, the city will submit a revised inventory and an initial plan for replacement and financing. By law, a city’s replacement plans must identify and prioritize “high-risk” areas.

Erik Bergren a junior at Augustana College test the pipes around a water meter inside a Rock Island resident's home Tuesday.

But before this, Reisner said residents can expect a final questionnaire postcard in the mail and urges people to complete it.

“We could really use more people … take five minutes to do it,” he said. “It’s helpful for the city, it’s helpful for student learning.”

And, ultimately, helpful for oneself.

“The more the city knows (inventory), the better we can apply for grants and financial help to get the water service lines that we need,” Arkle said. “Everyone should have access to clean drinking water.”

Augustana College President Andrea Talentino, left, Kimberly Murphy Associate Professor of Biology, Director of the Center for Advancement of Community Health and Wellness along with Augustana College student Erik Bergren canvass Rock Island neighborhoods, Tuesday, to encourage residents to complete a questionnaire about the material of their drinking water pipes determining whether they have copper, galvanized or lead pipes.

Erik Bergren a junior at Augustana College test the pipes around a water meter inside a Rock Island resident's home Tuesday.

Augustana College President Andrea Talentino and Kimberly Murphy Associate Professor of Biology, Director of the Center for Advancement of Community Health and Wellness along with Augustana College students canvassing Rock Island neighborhoods, Tuesday, to encourage residents to complete a questionnaire about the material of their drinking water pipes determining whether they have copper, galvanized or lead pipes.

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The EPA announced its most accurate count yet on how many lead pipes carry water into homes across the United States.

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