waterloop #151: AI Versus Lead

Artificial intelligence has emerged as a powerful tool in the fight to find lead water lines in the U.S., which could number up to 10 million and pose a threat to human health. The use of AI allows for much more accurate predictions of the location of lead lines by using a variety of factors such as the age of a house, size of the property, and prevalence in the area. This approach has helped cities like Newark, Detroit, and Toledo to dramatically reduce the time and cost of finding and replacing lead lines, as discussed in this episode with Eric Scwartz, CEO and Co-Founder of BlueConduit. Eric talks about how funding from the Rockefeller Foundation is allowing BlueConduit to provide free access to an inventory tool, launch a nationwide map of lead lines, and increase outreach to under-resourced communities. waterloop is sponsored by Varuna, the tool that provides water utilities with full system awareness and offers a new resilience dashboard that identifies internal and external risks. Learn more at Varuna.city waterloop is a nonprofit media outlet. Visit waterloop.org