City Council is requested to report back to the City Council with a detailed accounting of locations, if any, where Cured-In-Place Plastic Pipe (CIPP) and other plastic pipes currently exists in Cambridge, when it was installed, and why there was no public process for such a potentially hazardous change in water policy

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ORIGINAL ORDER

For approximately one year, the Cambridge Water Board in conjunction with the Water Department have been discussing the need to replace our aging water infrastructure, which uses, as our standard, ductile iron cement lined pipes; and Ductile iron cement lined pipes last for a significant amount of time, but many municipalities nationwide are beginning to face the reality that pipes installed decades ago are aging and will need to be replaced in the near future; and Municipalities, generally, can either replace pipes entirely or repair existing pipes; and

In discussions between the Water Board and Water Department, Cured-In-Place Plastic

Pipe (CIPP) has risen as a potential alternative to ductile iron cement lined pipes; and This new technology involves manufacturing a plastic coating inside an existing iron pipe; and Though this option would be less expensive in the short-term (though little is known about the lifespan of CIPP) and would be less disruptive to streets during repairs, there are significant health concerns associated with the use of CIPP; and It is widely known that all plastics leach chemicals, and the testing protocols for CIPP are industry-sponsored and thus not balanced, scientific measures of the potential concerns regarding this new technology’s effect on finished drinking water; and The Water Board has continuously raised concerns about the potential use of this technology; and As a response to the Water Board’s concerns, the Water Department will be conducting a “Literature Search” over the summer, to better understand the potential benefits and consequences of using CIPP; and Though having more information will be helpful, there is concern that the “Literature Search” will not bear much useful information, since the widely-held belief among scientists and engineers is that not enough longitudinal data is available to understand the impact of CIPP on our health over time; and A letter recently was sent to the City Manager and the Managing Director of the Water Department unanimously signed by all members of the Water Board who were present at the last meeting, requesting that CIPP not be installed until the study is completed, after which time the Water Board will engage in discussions with the Water Department about any further use of CIPP; now therefore be it RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record supporting the concerns of the Water Board in regards to delaying potential use of CIPP until all relevant scientific information is known; and be it further ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council with a detailed accounting of locations, if any, where CIPP and other plastic pipes currently exists in Cambridge, when it was installed, and why there was no public process for such a potentially hazardous change in water policy.