'lead safe lansing'

to help 120 homes

I was one of the customers in East Lansing who lost electric power for nearly a day late in May. What happened? — A.L. East Lansing

It was an underground cable failure. As any of our crews will tell you, finding and repairing underground cables can be difficult. It’s a bit like detective work, eliminating “suspects” until you have the “culprit.” The location of this particular cable failure took some time to isolate. Then, we had to dig, and dig, and then make repairs. The Board of Water & Light has 681 miles of underground transmission lines, and another 1,184 miles of electric transmission lines above ground. We have maintenance crews on 24-hour stand-by, and every day we are repairing and upgrading this sprawling transmission system. In fact, the May 24 power outage occurred while we were making repairs. Our crews switched customers to a back-up circuit while they repaired the regularly used circuit. And it was that back-up circuit— which included the underground cable “culprit” — that failed.

Do you have a question about some aspect of Lansing Board of Water & Light operations? Include your name, city of residence and phone number, and send it to Q CORNER:

  E-MAIL: mailto:mdn@lbwl.com

    FAX:  (517) 702-6855

   MAIL:  Lansing Board of Water & Light

          Communications Department

          1232 Haco Dr., P.O. Box 13007

          Lansing MI 48901.

Lansing is “getting the lead out” in a dramatic new way.

“Lead Safe Lansing” was launched in June to alleviate lead paint hazards in 120 homes over the next three years. This new program, aimed at protecting Lansing children from the threat of lead poisoning, is made possible from a $1.4 million federal grant.

At a press conference in June, Mayor Virg Bernero said, “Exposure to lead-based paint is a principal source of lead poisoning in children, and can lead to serious mental and physical deficiencies.”

Lead used to be a common ingredient in paint, and homes built prior to 1940 have the biggest risk of containing lead-based paint. Lansing residents may be vulnerable because nearly one-fourth of all of Lansing’s homes were built prior to 1940. That equates to about 12,000 housing units.

Lead Safe Lansing will offer up to $8,000 to homeowners and landlords to help deal with lead paint hazards. The program is also designed to identify homes that need lead paint remediation.

In conjunction with Lead Safe Lansing is the Board of Water & Light’s ongoing program to replace all lead service lines that deliver water to our customers. We are now in our third year of a 10-year program to replace these lead service lines. When we began, there were nearly 13,000 homes served with lead lines. Today, there are fewer than 9,000 lead service lines in use.

Even though experts overwhelmingly agree that the greatest risk of lead poisoning comes from lead-based paint and lead dust, the BWL remains committed to our program to replace all lead service lines.

We congratulate the City of Lansing for launching Lead Safe Lansing. The BWL will continue to be the city’s partner in educating the public about the program as well as what individuals can do to protect themselves.

■ To learn more about Lead Safe Lansing, visit the Web site,     www.cityoflansingmi.com/leadsafelansing

■ The Greater Lansing Housing Coalition will conduct classes on
 “lead-safe” work practices for home remodeling and other projects. Classes will be 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. July 10, July 11
and July 18 at 600 W. Maple, Lansing. For more information, call 372-5980.

■ If you’re not sure if you have a BWL lead service line, call our Customer Service Center at 702-6006. To learn more about lead in drinking water, click here.

bwL Water
IS Mighty TASTY!

We’ve always thought that our water stacked up very well with water from municipal systems.

Now, we’ve got proof.

At a recent national taste test, the BWL’s water was ranked in the top 15 city waters for taste, clarity and aroma. That distinction earned us an honorable mention.

The June competition was held by the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C.  Ninety-three cities competed in the 2007 City Water Taste Test.

Being recognized for good-tasting water is an honor. But the national taste test is also conducted to highlight the continued need for safe, clean and plentiful drinking water. The BWL supplies about 23 million gallons of safe, clean drinking water to our customers each day. And the fact that it tastes good …well, that’s icing on the cake! 

The clock is ticking on your chance to claim federal tax credits on energy-efficiency improvements to your home.

Tax credits for these energy-saving improvements are in effect through December 31, 2007.

What qualifies for these tax credits? First, look for the ENERGY STAR® label on products such as air conditioners, storm windows, heat pumps and furnaces. Please note: Not all ENERGY STAR® products qualify for federal tax credits.

One great way to find out what is eligible (or not) for tax credits is to visit:
http://energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.

This ENERGY STAR® site has extensive information about what qualifies. For instance, windows and skylights carrying the ENERGY STAR® label do qualify for a 10 percent tax credit on the cost up to $200.

Even if you’re not planning on buying major appliances or doing some energy-conscious remodeling that qualify for tax credits, there are still ways you can save money. One popular way is switching from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs.

These are great energy-savers — up to four times more efficient.
Plus, they cost less to operate and last 10 times longer than standard light bulbs.

For more information about ways to save on your energy bill, click here.