CLSE 302 Project (100 points total): Mass Transfer of Lead into Residential Drinking Water –

The Flint Crisis of 2014

Spring 2023
Due Thursday April 13 10AM
You must follow the report format given below. Paper only submittals.
Appendix: Parts 1-7: 15 points (see your class notes)

Please organize Part 8 in the form of a report.

We wish to analyze the problem of lead leaching from pipes carrying water to residential customers. A
now infamous case involves the city of Flint MI that switched its water source from a Detroit lake to the
Flint river and knowingly neglected treatment that would be required for this source change. The pH
and alkalinity change to the Flint river was known to increase the leaching of lead from the aging
residential utility water pipes. For more background see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis.

Many utility pipes today still contain significant amounts of lead that could cause individual harm
without mitigation strategies. The Flint river case highlights the need to utilize our engineering methods
and problem-solving skills to make informed judgements recognizing our ethical and professional
responsibilities and considering the impact of our analysis in a global, economic, environmental and
societal context

Following the 8-step method, derive all necessary equations to analyze the problem of dissolution of a
harmful chemical A from the walls of a pipe into the fluid B (water). We will assume the Higbie solution
covered in class and in Section 18.6 in your textbook. Assume that the equilibrium distribution
coefficient or equilibrium solubility of A between the solid pipe and water interface is known. Note that
this is the thermodynamic partitioning of A which sets the stage for mass transfer.

The biggest part of this problem will be Step 8 where you are to estimate the concentration of lead at
various distances along the pipe using average parameters from residential water delivery systems. The
following paper by Drs. Marc Edwards and Laurie McNeill at our sister institution VT gives the
approximate solubility of lead for tested residential pipes into water as:

https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1551-8833.2002.tb09383.x

Untreated Water: ~1.0 mg/L

Treated Water: ~0.1 mg/L

Provide a summary table of the parameters that you used in your analysis, including all units in the
Methods section of your report.

Please answer the following questions in your report

How do your results compare to the maximum Federal levels of lead in residential drinking water at 15
parts per billion (ppb)?
Show a plot of bulk concentration of lead with pipe distance. Briefly summarize your views of the lack of
ethical and professional responsibilities associated with the Flint river crisis.

What other chemical, physical, or biological aspects are important in the supply of drinking water?
Specifically, identify seven possible contaminants. List the Federal Law limits for these contaminants in
drinking water.

What is meant by an LD50 value in toxicology? Give the LD50 values of your listed contaminants so as to
consider other possible contaminants for water quality analysis.

Report Format

Executive Summary – One or two paragraphs – What did you find out?

I. Introduction and Statement of the Problem - Include final equations you used and define all variables
and units. Derivations go in the Appendix.

II. Methods – Briefly summarize your methods, assumptions, and approach.

III. Results and Discussion – Provide titles, labels and or legends for all figures shown. Discuss trends
and significance of your results.

IV. Conclusions – Be brief.

V. References – Cite any references here in alphabetical order (cite by author and year). Do not cite
URL’s – use the scholarly web.