More than 48,000 Central New York water customers can expect to receive letters in their mailbox this week reminding them to check their water service lines. The Onondaga County Water Authority continues to take inventory of the materials used in 106,000 water lines entering homes and businesses.
More than 20,000 customers reported back to OCWA last year, so they’re slowly getting a picture of which lines are copper, plastic, galvanized steel, or lead.
OCWA Executive Director Jeff Brown said so far, about 400 are lead service lines and 3,900 have galvanized steel.
"We have very small numbers of lead identified in our system. That is the good news," Brown said. "The bad news is we still have 48,000 customer service lines that have not been identified. Pursuant to EPA regulations, all lead and galvanized requiring replacement services must be completed within 10 years. So we are in the identification phase now. We will be shortly moving to the replacement stage.”
Brown said they’re seeking funding to offset that cost for customers. Meanwhile, he said they must assume unknown water lines are made of lead, and that process is disruptive.
“Then we will have to be digging up, we will have to be replacing, and so we really need our customers' assistance prevent that from happening," Brown said. "The more accurate data we can have based on the photographs that folks send in and filling out the forms, that's only going to help the predictive model”
Brown said they’ve hired an engineering firm to determine when lines were installed, soil conditions, and other factors to narrow down the unknowns. He said it may also require digging up some yards to confirm their modeling.
The EPA wants a complete inventory by the end of 2027.
OCWA gives customers a few ways to submit their results, including a brief home visit.
