CARMICHAEL (CA) WATER DISTRICT INSTALLING ONLY LEAD-FREE WATER METERS MADE WITH ENVIROBRASS

CARMICHAEL, CA -- June 24, 2002 -- The Carmichael Water District of California is one of the first water districts in the country to totally install brass water meters that are lead-free.

The district is three years into a program to install a total of 11,000 water meters. Federal mandates require all water distribution to be metered by 2004.

Traditional water meters often contain more than 8% lead. Carmichael Water District's meters, supplied by ABB Water Meters Inc., are manufactured with EnviroBrass, which substitutes a bismuth-selenium compound for lead. While lead has been deemed a toxic hazard, bismuth and selenium are not harmful to humans or the environment. Bismuth is used in popular stomach remedies and selenium is found in anti-dandruff shampoos, topical ointments and nutritional supplements.
California Proposition 65 requires the annual publication of a list of toxic chemicals known by the state to cause cancer, birth defects or reproductive harm. Since lead can leach from brass meters and the California Public Health Goal limit is 2 parts per billion of lead in drinking water, removal of lead from water delivery systems was a primary concern for the Carmichael Water District. Carmichael, a suburb of Sacramento, had not previously been metered and saw the EnviroBrass manufactured meters as the best way to meet both the state and federal statutes.

EnviroBrass was developed by an industry consortium, which includes Asarco, a leading producer of copper, the Copper Development Association, the American 

Foundrymen's Society, the Brass and Bronze Ingot Makers and the Canadian Government's Materials Technology Laboratory. In addition to complying with California law, EnviroBrass fully meets the National Sanitation Foundation Standard 61.

"Brass is a copper-zinc alloy which in the past was cast with a lead component to enhance machinability," explained Dr. Funsho Ojebuoboh of Asarco Specialty Metals. "In addition to matching the machinability characteristics of traditional brass, EnviroBrass field tests in different regions of the country and under a variety of acidic and alkaline soil conditions found the bismuth-selenium containing EnviroBrass to be the equal of leaded brass."

A number of major manufacturers now offer EnviroBrass water meters, and within the near future Asarco anticipates that other water delivery components made with EnviroBrass, including submersible well pumps, will also be available.

For further technical or sales information on EnviroBrass, Dr. Ojebuoboh can be reached in Denver, CO at (303) 296-5114 or online at fojebuoboh@asarco.com.

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