The Midvale City Public Utilities Division is conducting an inventory of water service lines within our community to help residents identify what type of pipes they have. Your water service line is the pipe that runs water from the city main into your home, for which the homeowner is responsible. This initiative is in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recent update to the Lead & Copper Rule (LCR), which was finalized on December 22, 2020. Per the new rule, community water systems are required to compile and submit an initial service line inventory to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Drinking Water Division by October 16, 2024.

We need your help

If your home was built before 1990, please help us identify what material your service line is made of. By participating you will know your water service line material and will help Midvale City complete the inventory. The three step process is easy and should take no more than 30 minutes:

Step 1: Locate the water service line entering your home.

Step 2: Watch the following video to determine your service line material.

Please note, it's essential to perform both the scratch and magnet tests. The scratch test is important becuase paint can mask distinctions between different pipe materials. And it's hard to differentiate between lead pipes and galvanized pipes, so it is important to perform the Magnet Test to tell if your pipe is magnetic.

Step 3: Complete the quick 10-question survey to report your findings.

COMPLETE SURVEY

The drinking water from the treatment plant that travels through the water mains to your house is lead-free. Midvale City tests the water in the system following state and federal requirements. Our drinking water test results are below the EPA lead or copper action levels. For more detailed information about the water system and testing, visit our Water Quality Report page.

Do you have lead pipes in your home?

Lead exposure, even in small amounts, may cause health problems. It is connected to behavior and learning problems in kids, and high blood pressure and kidney problems in adults. Lead in water systems is one possible source of exposure, and that’s because in many homes, the pipe that connects the building's plumbing to the water system is still made of lead.

We’ll help you find out whether your drinking water is at risk in a few simple steps. You won't need anything fancier than a magnet and a coin, but you will need to be at home to follow along. If you do find lead piping within your home, we’ll show you what you can do.

What is a service line?

A service line is the pipe that connects the City water main to your interior plumbing. In Midvale, the City is responsible for the service line from the main in the street to the meter, typically near the property line. The property owner is responsible for the service line from the meter to inside the home.
What is lead?
Lead is a toxic metal that was used for many years in products found in and around homes. Even at low levels, lead may cause a range of health effects including behavioral problems and learning disabilities. Children six years old and under are most at risk because this is when the brain is developing. The primary source of lead exposure for most children is lead-based paint in older homes. Lead in drinking water can add to that exposure.

Why would lead be in my water?
In 1986, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) to regulate lead and copper levels in drinking water. This rule mandated that public drinking water systems monitor the quality of drinking water at customer taps. If more than 10 percent of customer taps exceeded the specified lead or copper action levels, the water system was obligated to implement corrosion control measures. Prior to 1986, the EPA had very few regulations regarding the materials plumbers could use in home construction. Due to the lack of education and specific regulations concerning lead exposure, many plumbing companies utilized lead pipes and other water fixtures that, by today's standards and knowledge, are considered toxic and hazardous.

How exactly can lead enter my water?
Lead can enter drinking water when plumbing materials containing lead corrode, especially if the water is highly acidic or contains a low mineral content. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets, and fixtures. Lead service lines that connect a building or house to the water main can also be a significant source of lead in drinking water. Lead pipes are more likely to be found in older cities and homes or buildings built before 1986. Drinking water in buildings without lead service lines may still contain lead if it leaches into the water from brass or chrome-plated brass faucets and plumbing with lead solder.

Who is responsible for replacing lead pipes?
The public water system (Midvale City) is only responsible for the section of the service line before the water meter. All portions of the service line that are after the meter are privately owned and will need to be replaced by the owner of the home or property.

Lead and Copper Rule Revisions Service Line Inventory Guidance

On August 4, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released Guidance for Developing and Maintaining a Service Line Inventory to support water systems with their efforts to develop inventories and to provide states with needed information for oversight and reporting to the EPA. The guidance provides essential information to help water systems comply with the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions requirement to prepare and maintain an inventory of service line materials by October 16, 2024. Specifically, EPA’s Lead Service Line Inventory guidance:

• Provides best practices for inventory development and communicating information to the public.
• Includes a template for water systems, states, and Tribes to use or adapt to create their own inventory.
• Contains case studies on developing, reviewing, and communicating about inventories.
• Highlights the importance of prioritizing inventory development in disadvantaged communities and where children live and play.

EPA is harmonizing regulatory requirements with unprecedented funding through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to make rapid progress on removing harmful lead from America’s drinking water.

Fact Sheet
On June 28, 2023, the EPA released the Fact Sheet for Developing and Maintaining a Service Line Inventory. The fact sheet can help water systems quickly identify the key Lead Copper Rule Revisions inventory requirements, including inventory elements, planning, records review, investigations, public accessibility, and information for non-lead systems.

EPA Requests Additional Input
On June 10, the EPA signed a final rule to extend the effective date of the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) Revisions to December 16, 2021. This action represents the next step in EPA’s effort to take the time necessary to review the LCR Revisions and ensure that it protects families and communities, particularly those that have been disproportionately impacted by lead in drinking water. This action allows the agency to continue conducting virtual engagements to gather valuable input from communities that have been impacted by lead and to seek feedback from national water associations, Tribes and Tribal communities, and EPA’s state co-regulators. This action also extends the revised LCR’s compliance deadline to October 16, 2024 to ensure that drinking water systems and primacy states continue to have the full three years provided by the Safe Drinking Water Act to take actions needed for regulatory compliance. For more information, visit: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/EPA-HQ-OW-2017-0300.

• Federal Register Notice: Lead and Copper Rule Revisions; Delay of Effective and Compliance Dates
• Questions and Answers
• Press Release: EPA to Request Additional Input on the Lead and Copper Rule

Revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule
EPA’s new Lead and Copper Rule better protects children and communities from the risks of lead exposure by better protecting children at schools and childcare facilities, getting the lead out of our nation’s drinking water, and empowering communities through information. Improvements under the new rule include:

• Using science-based testing protocols to find more sources of lead in drinking water.
• Establishing a trigger level to jumpstart mitigation earlier and in more communities.
• Driving more and complete lead service line replacements.
• For the first time, requiring testing in schools and childcare facilities.
• Requiring water systems to identify and make public the locations of lead service lines.

For more information visit the Federal Register website.