Many Northern Kentucky Water District (NKWD) customers will soon be receiving a notification in the mail regarding their water service line material as part of required notification from the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s revised Lead and Copper Rule.
“These notifications will alert the owner whether their service line material is lead, galvanized downstream from lead, or unknown material, which we have to consider as lead until we know otherwise,” said NKWD President/CEO Lindsey Rechtin. “It will also provide additional resources and information about lead for our customers.”
This is the second year that NKWD has sent notifications to customers.
“We have been working diligently over the past year to identify the material types of the unknown lines, which make up the majority of our required notifications,” noted Rechtin. “We strongly encourage our customers to take the time to identify their material and report it to us. Knowing where the lead service lines are in our system help us plan and apply for funding to assist with replacement.”
The service line is the small line that connects your house or building to the public water main. A portion of the service line from the water main to the water meter is owned by NKWD. The remainder is privately owned. NKWD is required to build an inventory for both sides of the service line.
NKWD has created a service line inventory map where customers can search for information about both the private (customer owned) and public (NKWD owned) portion of a service line. It can be found on NKWD’s website.
When water leaves NKWD’s treatment plants, it does not contain lead. The potential for lead in drinking water is primarily from possible leaching from a building’s plumbing and service lines. NKWD is required to provide treatment that minimizes the corrosivity of the water which is done by adjusting the pH and using a safe additive, a corrosion inhibitor, that protects the pipe material and helps lower the potential for lead to be released into the water.
If you have questions or concerns regarding lead in drinking water, please contact NKWD at 859-578-5451 or via email at SLI@nkywater.org
Northern Kentucky Water District