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Lead Service Lines

Lead Service Lines

Lead Service Lines

If you are interested in learning more about lead service lines, the information here can help you get started.

The revised Michigan Lead and Copper Rule requires water supplies to create a Distribution System Materials Inventory that identifies the material of all service lines in the distribution system, including the portions on both public and private property. A preliminary inventory was due on January 1, 2020. A summary of the preliminary inventories submitted to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy is available here.

Water supplies are required to publish the number of lead service lines, unknown service lines, and total service lines in their annual consumer confidence report/water quality report along with other information described here. They must update these numbers annually.

If the inventory information for your water supply is not published in either of these two places, you should call your water supply to ask for a copy and contact the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to ensure they enforce this requirement. Contact Michigan EGLE's Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate by email ([email protected]) or call EGLE's Environmental Assistance Center at 800-662-9278.

Water service lines are small pipes that connect the water main, typically running under the street, to a water customer’s property as shown in the figure below. Prior to 1950, it was common for service lines to be made from lead pipe. The installation of new lead service lines (LSL) was prohibited in Michigan in 1988. The revised Michigan Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) defines the water service line as the pipe from the discharge of the corporation stop to the first shut-off valve inside the building, or 18 inches inside the building, whichever is shorter.

Under the revised Michigan Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), a “lead service line” (LSL) means a service line which is made of lead, any lead connection or fitting (sometimes called a pigtail or a gooseneck) that is connected to the service line, or both.¹ This means that a “lead service line” (LSL) is a service line that is made entirely of lead, or a service line that is made of more than one material, including lead. Plumbing materials such as the curb stop, connectors, valves, and water meter may also contain some lead as described here.

The Michigan Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) requires water supplies to replace all lead service lines (LSL) and galvanized steel service lines if the galvanized service line is or was connected to lead pipe.


Click to enlarge.

Service lines can consist of many different parts and materials, and your water supply may not know the material of every portion of the service line. A service line may have up to four distinct portions,³ as shown in the figure below.

  1. The section from the water main in the street to the curb stop near the property line is typically considered the “public side” and is typically owned by the city. The corporation stop and the curb stop are both valves that can be used to stop the flow of water.
  2. In some cases there is a small, city-owned “gooseneck” or “pigtail” that bends to connect the service line to the water main.²
  3. The section from the curb stop to the house is typically owned by the homeowner and is called the “private side”. The ownership of service lines may differ from city to city. To determine who owns the service line sections, you may ask your water utility.
  4. The only portion of a service line that can be identified without digging up the pipe is the short piece inside the house that runs to the meter or the main shutoff valve inside the house. The portion inside the house can be a different material than the buried portions of the service line.

References:

If your house was built before 1988 you may have a lead service line. Check with your water supply to learn when lead service lines were commonly installed. You can also check the material of your service line where it enters your home. There are a variety of resources available to help you identify a lead service line inside your house2,3 including a mobile app you can walk through on your phone.4

Homes may have a partial lead service line or other lead components between the water main and the house that cannot be identified inside the house as described here.

In 1986, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) banned lead-containing pipes and solder from use in household plumbing. This was done through an amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), which became effective in 1988.¹ Therefore, one characteristic of homes with lead service lines is that the plumbing was installed or last updated prior to 1988.

A service line for a home usually enters a home in the basement, and is commonly located just prior to the shut off valve. The water meter may be in the same location. The picture below depicts a typical configuration for service lines and meters, although the orientation of the pipes may be different depending on the home. The following steps can help a homeowner identify the construction material of the service line:


Photo: Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. Click to enlarge.

  1. Locate where the service line comes into your house near the main shutoff valve. Look for the test area between the wall or the floor and the shutoff valve, shown circled in the picture above. In some locations the service line may not be visible at all.
  2. Does a magnet stick? If yes, the service line is galvanized steel.
  3. Gently scratch the surface of the pipe with a coin. If the pipe is soft and easily scraped, silver, and a magnet doesn’t stick, it is lead. It may have a bulb in the pipe near the shutoff valve.
  4. If it is copper colored and a magnet doesn’t stick, it is copper.
  5. If the pipe is white or grey and the piping is joined with a clamp, screw or glue, it is plastic.

If you find a lead line entering your home, you have a lead service line. If you don’t find lead but you do live in a pre-1988 home, there is still a possibility that you have a lead service line buried between your home and the water main.

Finally, homeowners can call their water utility and inquire about the material of their service line. Many water providers keep records of construction date, material, and other aspects. The initial phase of the new Michigan Lead and Copper Rule also mandates an inventory of service lines, so the utility will be required to notify you if they find or suspect a lead service line at your home.

Read here for a thorough discussion of how you can confirm the materials in the entire service line at your home.

References:

There are three ways to learn the material the service line to your house is made of:

  1. Under the Michigan LCR water suppliers must notify owners and residents within 30 days if the supply finds that a house is served by a lead service line or unknown service line. Any time a new water account is opened at a building served by a lead service line, the water supply must notify the owner and the occupant that there is a lead service line. Lead service lines are defined here.

  2. The revised Michigan Lead and Copper Rule requires water supplies to create a Distribution System Materials Inventory that identifies the material of all service lines in the distribution system, including the portions on both public and private property. A preliminary inventory is due by January 1, 2020 and a complete inventory is due by January 1, 2025.¹ Water supplies are required to identify lead service lines and notify residents as they complete their Distribution System Materials Inventories. If you haven’t received a written notice of your service line material, it may mean that your water supply has not sent out notifications or that you do not have a lead service line. 

    If you haven’t received a written notification of your service line material, you should call your water supply to ask what your water supply knows about the material of your service line. 

  3. You can investigate the service line material at your home on your own. It is important to check the material inside your home as described here, but also explore the possibility of different materials underground.

    Read here to learn more about the number of lead service lines in your community.

Water service line diagram.
Water service line diagram. Click to enlarge.

References:

Identifying Lead Service Lines

Click through this gallery to help identify lead service lines.

For a full explanation of how to identify lead service lines in your home, download the tutorial from Elin Betanzo of Safe Water Engineering.