PORTSMOUTH – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required that all public water suppliers, including the City of Portsmouth submit an inventory of the materials in water service lines by Oct. 16, 2024. These service lines are the pipes that deliver drinking water from the public water mains to customers. The inventory requirement is part of the EPA Lead and Copper Rule Revision.
The City of Portsmouth Water Division has submitted this inventory for the Portsmouth and Pease Tradeport water systems and is now notifying customers whose water service line material is identified as galvanized steel or whose service line material has not been identified. No lead services lines have been identified in the Portsmouth or Pease water systems. These notifications are intended to raise awareness of service line materials and help customers avoid possible exposure to lead in their drinking water.
Customers who receive a notification letter are being asked to assist the City by following the directions outlined in the notice.
The information letters include:
- A statement that the service line material is either galvanized steel and requires replacement, or is unknown;
- Information on replacing galvanized steel service lines requiring replacement;
- Actions to take if the material of the water service line is unknown;
- An explanation of the health effects of lead; and
- Steps to reduce any exposure to lead.
In accordance with the federal regulation, letters must be sent to property owners on an annual basis until service lines that might contain lead are removed, or the public water system is able to verify that a service line does not contain lead. Anyone not receiving a letter by the end of the year should be assured that the Water Division has determined that their service line material does not contain lead.
The Portsmouth and Pease water supply sources do not contain detectable quantities of lead; however, this metal may exist in components of household plumbing systems and water service lines.
“The City of Portsmouth and public water systems nationwide are working to protect the quality of public drinking water and inform customers of the potential for lead exposure from water service lines and plumbing systems,” said Albert Pratt, P.E. Water Resource Manager. “This effort provides greater confidence in the quality of water delivered to customers and helps customers by identifying and removing harmful lead-containing components if they are found.”
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