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Birmingham Water Works notifying customers of potential lead pipes [Video]
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Birmingham Water Works notifying customers of potential lead pipes [Video]

Next week, over 70,000 homeowners will receive letters from Birmingham Water Works letting them know they may have lead pipes in their homes.The letters are primarily going to homes built before 1989. They’re sending the letters because of new federal guidelines.”We’re required by the EPA to build a database to find out who has lead piping and who doesn’t,” interim general manager Darryl Jones said.Just because you receive a letter doesn’t mean you have lead pipes. Some homeowners may have replaced their pipes since the home was built.Even if your pipes are lead, you’re not in any immediate danger.”There’s no immediate concern,” Jones said. “We’re doing it because we’re required to do it.”Jones said the water works board has already taken steps to ensure everyone’s drinking water is safe.”We treat our water in a way that we make sure there’s a protective coating on the pipe, so just because you have a lead pipe doesn’t mean that you will have lead leeching into your water,” he said.Currently, they’re offering several options for what to do if your home has lead pipes, but Jones said the first thing you need to do is notify them.”There are some things in that letter that we tell them to follow up with and also notify us so we can build a database,” he said. “The letter will have information in it for you to follow and give you some steps to do to make it safe for you.”For homeowners who find lead in their pipes, BWWB will provide a free water filter pitcher. Those homeowners can choose to opt-in to regular in-home testing, meaning someone will come to the home regularly and measure the amount of lead in the water.

Teachers in Beverly and Gloucester vote to go on strike [Video]
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Home Based Business

Teachers in Beverly and Gloucester vote to go on strike [Video]

Teachers in Beverly and Gloucester have voted to go on strike Thursday, with the strike going into effect immediately.”We are willing to do whatever it takes to fix the crisis in our schools,” organizers said. “We went into our jobs because we wanted to make a difference in the lives of our children.”Both the Beverly Teachers Association and Gloucester Teachers Association held press conferences Thursday evening, where they announced their intentions to begin the strike.”Without fundamental changes in our districts, we will continue to be tasked with understaffing, underfunding and overflowing classrooms,” organizers said. “The district and the city has left us in a deep hole for years.”The vote comes after school committees in both cities asked the Department of Labor Relations to step in and stop any potential strikes.”It is unfortunate that the Beverly Teachers Association intends to take this step particularly given that the state has just recently appointed a mediator to help us reach a compromise,” Beverly School Committee Chair Rachael Abell said in a letter to the community. “We are urging the BTA to allow that mediator to get their work off the ground and entrust them to help us come to mutual agreement that does not require any disruption to student learning.”In a similar letter, the Gloucester School Committee told families it is asking the Department of Labor Relations to stop the strike that it believes will “significantly disrupt student learning.””Teachers are essential employees who our children depend on for learning and safety during the school day. An illegal labor action will cause direct harm to students by forcing many to stay home without a parent or guardian able to care for them, removing access to mental health service options, and limiting students’ abilities to secure warm meals,” said Kathleen Clancy, on behalf of the Gloucester School Committee.The teachers union in Beverly said it has been without a contract for 67 days, and educators are taking a stand as the schools continue to be underfunded.”It’s hard to see our students struggle when we don’t have enough people in the building,” organizers said. “It’s hard to see them struggle when we lose teachers to other jobs.”