The City of Paris is working on the second phase of a multi-year water connection inventory as part of an Environmental Protection Agency initiative for safer drinking water. In this phase, crews are examining service lines to determine what materials are used in the connections. The EPA initiative aims to identify and ultimately remove any drinking water lines made of, or that may include parts containing, galvanized metal or lead.
Service lines are the pipes that connect a water main to the water meter and from the meter to a home or business. The city owns the section between the water main and the meter, and the customer is responsible for the line from the meter to the structure.
In November, the city will mail letters to customers whose service line has been found to contain galvanized metal or is listed as unknown. Thus far, any service lines found to include galvanized materials have been on the property owner side of the connection.
So far, no lead-based parts have been found during the inventory. However, galvanized metal can absorb lead if it has ever been connected to lead-based pipes. Lead-based materials may have been used in the system before the EPA ended the use of new lead-based materials in 1986.
“Anyone who receives a letter about their service line containing galvanized material is encouraged to contact a licensed plumber to discuss the situation and possible replacement,” Director of Utilities Danny Rowell said. “If you receive a notice of unknown materials letter, it simply means that the material in your service line is not known but is on the list for inspection in the future.”
The city has developed a web page, www.ParisTexas.gov/ServiceLine, with additional information about the service line inventory process.
