Using Artificial Intelligence to Find the Millions of Lead Water Pipes in Need of Replacing

Using Artificial Intelligence to Find the Millions of Lead Water Pipes in Need of ReplacingTop of Mind with Julie Rose • Season 1, Episode 1727, Segment 4

Nov 9, 2021 • 14m

While Flint, Michigan’s crisis pushed the problem with lead water pipes to the front of the nation’s mind, the fact remains that millions of Americans get their water from lead pipes. Lead was standard for decades. But there aren’t great records to show where the lead pipes are in a city. When utilities go to replace the pipes, it’s a bit of a guessing game—a messy, expensive one at that. To help Flint replace its pipes, a team at the University of Michigan developed a smart computer program to predict which neighborhoods and households would be most likely to have them. It worked so well other cities are now using the algorithm, and the researchers have formed a company called Blue Conduit. Jared Webb is the company’s chief data scientist.

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