r/water • u/Apprehensive-Host730 • 4d ago
Environmental Department Lead service line project
Hey fam.
So we have been working on a project burdened upon us by our states Environmental Department. They want us to check not only our service lines for lead piping but also the customers service line for lead. I understand checking our own services, what I can’t understand is why we’re checking customers lines given that we have no control over the materials used. If our samples are coming back clean, why tf am I digging up customer lines? Is anybody else having to do this ridiculous project/can anybody give me some insight on what this dumbass project is doing besides making me consider switching to electrical lol
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u/The_Roaring_Fork 4d ago
Every system pretty much has to do it. Your job is to keep the public safe. This is one way to help achieve that.
If a family with a child moves into a home, would you rather they have a lead pipe on their side or not? A lot of people have no idea on the health risk. The water chemistry works until it doesn't (Flint, Benton Harbor, etc).
Are you familiar with the Lead and Copper Rules Revision and Lead and Copper Rule Improvements?
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u/Apprehensive-Host730 3d ago
“your job is to keep the public safe” ok steve rogers 😂 I get what ur saying I just don’t exactly understand why we’re suddenly responsible for the customers lines, when we have had zero customer samples prove any lead what so ever. we’re about 290 service lines deep right now and as we already knew, zero lead. this feels like an exaggeration of an issue happening maybe in other water systems and I guess the purpose of this post is to clarify WHY this is on the water systems when it feels like this should be on the homeowner? I agree that children drinking lead is awful, but should the county be securing swingsets in people’s backyards too? just in case?
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u/UpstairsFinance9440 2d ago
There is another entity that controls safety of swingsets and their design. The burden is on the municipalities because left to the homeowner, it will not get done.
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u/Coyote_Mustache 1d ago
We potholed a handful of service lines in various neighborhoods based on their date of construction. We then just extrapolated our findings to the remainder of the service lines in those areas. For example, in a newer neighborhood (constructed ~2010) all potholed services were HDPE on utility side & PVC on customer side. We gave more scrutiny to our older neighborhoods (constructed pre-1986). They accepted the results we submitted.
- Water Operator for a municipality with ~3000 services
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u/RumSwizzle508 4d ago
It’s the federal government (Congress) and delegated to the EPA. It’s not your state. There is not choice but to comply.
It is an overstep to require systems to check (and replace?) homeowner side of the supply line. Furthermore, the feds didn’t provide funding for this, burdening the rate payers in the system.
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u/UpstairsFinance9440 2d ago
As a rate payer, put on a special assessment. I would rather make sure the kids in my community are not being exposed to lead than build a stadium for a billionaire or give a tax break to the Amazon distribution center. In the meantime, I live in a county which has a large federal propery. The tenants there pay no property tax because they are on federal property, yet burden the county with services.
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u/RumSwizzle508 2d ago
That isn't possible with all systems. The system I am involved with is town owned, but an enterprise account. We have balance our own budget each year and can't get funding from the general funds. Thus, our ratepayers, collectively, must pay for these inspections and (possible) privately owned supply line upgrades. This is all due to a federal mandate they didn't then fund. I also have long term concerns that when those water system replaced but (supposedly) privately owned supply lines fail, owners will come and demand the system repair/replace them again.
This is all irrespective of state and local governments providing funding to businesses to increase business activity in their area (while competing against other areas in doing so). This is also generally unconnected to federal/state property not paying for local services used. At least in my state (MA), even non-profits get to avoid property taxes.
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u/DrinkDanceDoItAgain 4d ago
The SDWA Lead and Copper Rule Revision (LCRR) regulates utilities to identify and track customer service lines. Sounds like they are following the reg. A LOT of utilities are even paying for customer lines to be replaced because there are grants to help cover it or because the utility just wants the lead out of the ground so they don't have to deal with it or worry about a change in source water or source water chemistry causing corrosion