Lead & Copper Home & Service line Inventory

Rural Water District #5 Customer:

You have received this letter and survey requesting some information about the service line and the piping in your home. RWD#5 has never issued permits or required inspections of your home and has NO records to work from. The EPA has issued new Lead and Copper Revisions that require your help in obtaining this information. 

For more information: https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/revised-lead-and-copper-rule

This new revision requires all water systems to obtain lead service line inventories over the next years. These inventories will include both the utility and the customer-owned portion of waterlines. All water system providers must be compliant by October 16, 2024. As you can imagine, this will be a very big undertaking for water systems in Kansas.

Lead and copper are rarely detected in most drinking water supplies. However, these metals are a concern to consumers because some household fixtures may contain lead or copper and corrosive water may leach (pickup) lead and copper from the household plumbing after entering a home. This is a greater issue for older houses (i.e., houses built before 1986, if the plumbing system has not been replaced) than for newer houses. The most common reason for water utilities to add corrosion inhibitors is to avoid lead and copper corrosion within older homes.

The EPA has told us we must know what the service line material is either by survey or excavation. The Kansas water systems have been given a very short window to comply with this new revision. Please take the time to fill out the survey and return it in the pre-paid envelope provided so that the everyone can save on costs.

Please help us protect your health. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued regulations requiring all public water supply (PWS) systems to develop a Lead Service Line Inventory (LSLI) of both water system owned and your privately owned service lines. Your PWS system must submit this inventory to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) by October 16, 2024. 

Representatives of your water system may contact you in the near future to ask you to answer some questions such as the date your home was built or if you know what materials were used in your home’s plumbing and service line, among other questions. Please take the time to respond to their inquiries as this will help determine if you or your family have a lead exposure risk. If you are unsure, your water system should be able to help identify materials. The goal is to remove all lead containing service lines to your home. 

Piping containing lead can become a potential health risk in drinking water. Some homes (typically built before 

1988 in Kansas) may have lead service lines on the customer's property that connect to your water system’s main lines. On the back of this letter is a schematic of where lead sources in drinking water may be found. 

Young children, infants, and fetuses are particularly vulnerable to lead in drinking water and water used for formula because the physical and behavioral effects of lead occur at lower exposure levels in children than in adults. 

Additional information on the Lead and Copper Rule and identifying lead pipes and plumbing can be found on the KDHE website at: kdhe.ks.gov/547/

Or at the EPA Website at: epa.gov/dwreginfo/lead-and-copper-rule 

Kansans working together will get the lead out of our water systems. 

Thank you for your cooperation, 

Kansas Department of Health & Environment 

Public Water Supply Section 

1000 SW Jackson, Suite 420 Topeka, KS 66612 kdhe.ks.gov/409/