Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) customers recently received letters notifying them of the possibility of lead pipes on their property.
In accordance with the EPA’s 2021 Lead and Copper Rule Revisions, DWU has been required to compile an inventory of its service lines and their materials citywide, according to a release.
As part of the inventory, DWU is required to notify customers whose service line materials have been identified as unknown, lead or galvanized requiring replacement. 50,000 customers received letters notifying them of unknown service line materials on Oct. 29, and over 184,000 additional customers were notified on Nov. 4 and 8, according to a release.
DWU service lines are divided into two sides: the public side and the private customer-owned portion (all pipes and plumbing on private property coming from a DWU meter).
The city’s inventory identified line materials on the public side but did not comprehensively assess customer-owned portions of lines, which is why the majority have been categorized as unknown. DWU has not identified any lead service lines to date. Currently, DWU has 320,491 active service lines. DWU has thus far identified the material for 204,396 services on the public side, and 86,886 on the private side as non-lead.
Neighbors can check the status of service line materials here. For those who received letters notifying them of unknown line materials, DWU has created a survey with step-by-step instructions on how to identify lead or galvanized pipes. In cases where lead or galvanized materials are found, neighbors can call 311 to schedule a free lead test of their water supply.
According to the CDC, Lead enters the water supply when water flows through corroded pipes. There is no safe level of lead consumption, and exposure can result in severe developmental harm to small children, as well as serious health effects in adults.
City officials say there is no lead in the city’s water.
DWU currently uses a corrosion control agent in its water control to significantly reduce the possibility of lead entering the water supply from corroded pipes. The Safe Drinking Water Act banned the use of lead water pipes in new buildings from 1986 onwards but did not require the replacement of existing lines.
Private portions of DWU service lines are the responsibility of the property owner to maintain and repair. If lead material is identified, property owners will have ten years to replace the pipes.
