WaterOne has adopted updated standards to inform and safeguard customers about the potential of lead in private plumbing materials. The standards are part of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lead & Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), which establishes new safeguards to support American water utilities in protecting their communities.

It is important for WaterOne’s customers to know:

• The water served to customers by WaterOne meets or exceeds all safety and quality standards, and is lead-free when it reaches private property.
• The updated EPA rule specifically focuses on the potential risk of service lines and plumbing materials containing lead.
• Service lines are the pipes that supply water service from the public water main to the water customer’s property. The private (customer-owned) side of the service line runs from the water meter to the property and is the responsibility of the property owner (customer) to maintain or replace as part of the property’s plumbing system.
• If lead is present in the service line or other plumbing materials, it can create a potential risk of lead exposure under certain conditions.

WaterOne protects its customers in multiple ways. First, it has no record of lead utility service lines being used in its distribution system. Second, lead was not commonly used for private service lines in this region. Third, WaterOne also uses water treatment methods that help prevent water from picking up impurities from private plumbing.  

The EPA rule recognizes that local water providers are Americans’ most trusted source of information about water quality. The EPA rule establishes new utility requirements for customer communication, public education, and data collection related to service lines to ensure consistency across all American communities.

To provide additional resources to its customers, WaterOne has launched a customer service line look-up tool showing the material status of all recorded service lines in its service area. Because information on customer plumbing systems was not historically collected in most American communities including in this area, WaterOne is also contacting affected customers directly by letter to let them know there’s a gap in information available about their service line material, or if any other notification is helpful for customer awareness. The letter invites customers to share information about their service line materials, if known, so it can be added to the information look-up tool as well as steps that can be taken to reduce any potential exposure to lead, if that’s a customer concern. Neither the EPA nor local water providers like WaterOne are requiring customers to take any action at all. This is an unprecedented collaborative effort across the nation to ensure all Americans have awareness about an important part of their property’s plumbing system. These awareness letters will be sent annually and whenever a new customer moves into a property without information on file, or similar criteria.

To learn more about safeguarding from lead exposure in private plumbing, visit waterone.org/lead.

“At WaterOne, we want to ensure our customers are confident in the safety and quality of their tap water,” said WaterOne Public Information Officer Kelly Fry. “It is exceptionally rare to find lead components in use for service lines and plumbing in WaterOne’s service area. The updated Lead & Copper Rule is an opportunity for water providers like WaterOne to offer customers a better understanding of their private plumbing.”