AT&T says lead cables in Lake Tahoe "pose no danger" and should stay in place

[douglas9]

AT&T's legacy telephone network may have nearly 200,000 miles of lead-covered cables, according to an estimate by AT&T submitted in a court filing.

"Based on its records, AT&T estimates that lead-clad cables represent less than 10 percent of its copper footprint of roughly two million sheath miles of cable, the overwhelming majority of which remains in active service," AT&T wrote in a court filing yesterday in US District Court for the Eastern District of California. "More than two thirds of its lead-clad cabling is either buried or in conduit, followed by aerial cable, and with a very small portion running underwater. There are varying costs of installation, maintenance, and removal by cable type (aerial, buried, buried in conduit, underwater)."

Reacting to the court filing, financial analyst firm Raymond James & Associates wrote in a research note, "AT&T is telling us that the total exposure is 200,000 route miles or less." With about two-thirds of the lead cables either buried or installed inside conduit, "We believe the implication for AT&T's data is that the route miles that should be addressed most immediately is about 3.3 percent (or less)," the analyst firm wrote.

AT&T's new court filing came in a case filed against AT&T subsidiary Pacific Bell by the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) in January 2021. The sportfishing group sued AT&T over cables that are allegedly "damaged and discharging lead into Lake Tahoe."

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/07/att-may-have-nearly-200000-miles-of-lead-covered-phone-cables-across-us/

[clouds]

1. Lol.. no

I side with AT&T here.
But the fishing group has probably left hundreds of thousands of miles of lead fishing weights in the lake along with lead buck shot from shooting birds over the years.

The former Qwest/ US West, now Lumen, removed most lead cables, because it was in such disrepair. The technicians that maintained the lead cable for a century might have a claim tho.

[EarnestPutz]

3. That's a great point. I personally have probably lost half a ton of lead fishing gear.

[Effete Snob]

4. Yah, the gun nuts fight lead shot restrictions tooth and nail

And fisherfolk have been dumping lead in the water for eons.

[hunter]

8. The big knots of tangled fishing line can be just as destructive.

Our local animal rescue is sometimes called to the scene when birds and animals are entangled in it. Last year I watched the fire department rescue a hawk from the fishing line it was tangled in.

It's probably best to leave the lead cables in place so long as they are in service.

Replacing the cables for no other reason than their lead content will have adverse environmental impacts as well.

My dad grew up in a house built more than a hundred years ago. This housing development was celebrated for its all-underground utilities.

The electric service, the telephone service, and the water service were all lead. Generally it's been replaced in a piecemeal fashion over the years. But some homes in the neighborhood still have the original lead 60 amp electric service and lead phone cable. The main water line in the street and the lead water service lines to homes were replaced many years ago, but a lot of the original lead water pipes, phone, and power cables remain in the ground.

[Fullduplexxx]

2. Those cables have been there for decades

[Think. Again.]

5. "Cigarette companies say smoking "poses no danger" and..."

Oh, sorry, wrong year.

[Think. Again.]

6. "Exxon says CO2 "poses no danger" and should be ignored."....

Oh wait, sorry again, wrong shareholders...

[Think. Again.]

7. "NRA says guns "pose no danger"..."

Okay, I'll stop.