The Niagara Falls Water Board has completed an initial water service line inventory within its service area to document the material of the water service lines that extend from water mains to the water meter inside buildings.
“This inventory is a significant milestone in our continuous commitment to provide safe, reliable drinking water and to keep our system in compliance with New York State and U.S. EPA water quality requirements,” said NFWB Executive Director Sean Costello. “While lead is not commonly found in drinking water leaving our treatment plant or in our water mains, the customer-owned service line from the water main to the building or internal building plumbing may contain lead.”
The water service line inventory is a compliance requirement from the State of New York and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions. It protects the public’s drinking water from metals that can adversely affect health.
The Water Board’s inventory is not the result of any detected water quality issues within its system. Water systems throughout the U.S. are required to submit and continuously update a water service line inventory. Other requirements include more stringent monitoring of lead and copper levels at consumers’ taps.
The Water Board has integrated its inventory in an interactive map. Customers can view inventory information and learn more about lead in drinking water on the NFWB website, www.nfwb.org/reports/quality. In addition, and as required by the EPA, all customers whose building is served by either a lead service line or a service line of unknown material will receive a letter in the coming weeks.
“Lead is a toxic metal that can be harmful to human health even at low levels,” Costello said. “That is why the EPA has developed rules requiring replacement of lead service lines by 2037. Please know that if the service line serving your property is lead or an unknown material which may be lead, it does not necessarily mean that you are being exposed to unsafe levels of lead.”
To minimize the effects of lead and maintain compliance with federal drinking water regulations, the Water Board’s treatment plant adds a poly-orthophosphate blend to the water it produces. This is a corrosion inhibitor intended to keep lead from dissolving or flaking from lead-containing pipes and contaminating drinking water.
The Water Board recently received $472,780 in grant funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Lead Service Line Replacement Program administered through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to help develop its inventory and to plan for lead service line replacements. It will seek additional grants to help offset the cost of service line replacements that will be necessary in future years to remain in compliance with State and EPA regulations.
Customer Assistance Requested
The NFWB is requesting that customers assist in refining the lead service line inventory to help guide planning for service line replacements. It has developed an online survey form with instructions to walk building owners through the process of inspecting and reporting the service line material for their building. Niagara Falls building owners are asked to visit www.nfwb.org/reports/quality for the link to complete the survey.
For more information on lead service lines, customers can call 716-283-9770 and select option “0,” email waterquality@NFWB.org, or visit www.nfwb.org/reports/quality.