Applying Basic Chemical Reaction to in-House Water Treatment

In 1974, the Safe Drinking Water Act was passed by Congress. This act detailed maximum concentrations of analytes in water such that the water is safe for consumption. Within this act, the maximum lead concentration before the EPA is required to intervene is 15 ppb. This concentration was surpassed in Flint, Michigan, after city officials changed water supply in mid-2014. One year later, a tap water sample sent into the EPA revealed a lead concentration of 104 ppb. It is believed that the lead leaching was a result of corrosive water passing through the pipes. Until the pipes can be replaced, the residents of Flint must either use bottled water or purchase an NSF-Certified water filter, which cost anywhere from $60-$500 new with replacement filters which must also be NSF-Certified. This project aims to give an alternative filtration system which utilizes precipitation chemistry to extract lead from water and engineering to give the most cost-effective separation method.