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A Water Service Survey will arrive along with Marietta utility bills in the future, and it's not one of those "We Want Your Opinion" questionnaires.
This one is about detecting lead in city drinking water lines.
Marietta City Engineer Bob Heady says the information from residents is critical. A full inventory of every water line in the city is needed in order to complete an inventory that is due to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in October 2024. If no information is gathered on a particular water service, it will be considered to be made of lead and the owner will be notified sometime in the future that they will need to replace any unknown or lead services.
The utility bill will contain the link to a website: arcg.is/1uXXLv. The link explains how to submit the information on an owner's specific water service, as well as guidelines on identifying the presence of lead.
Heady and City Water Superintendent Jeff Kephart estimate there may be up to 10 miles out of a total 100 miles of water mains that still contain lead-jointed cast iron piping and/or possible lead service line components. They also noted that new construction is not exempt from the risk of lead if it is connected to an area of the city water infrastructure that is older.
It would be cost prohibitive to replace all the lines that are suspected of lead content because of their age, Heady told Marietta City Council members at a May meeting.
Instead, the city has a plan to do replacements based on investigation, including the service line surveys of customers; a county records search for construction and remodel dates; and a statistically representative sampling of the various elements of the water infrastructure.
Then, the replacement locations can be pinpointed.
Heady told council that the city is being proactive by finding appropriate funding and starting its investigation now, since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio agency both are moving towards enacting stricter drinking water standards.
The city has the approval of a $400,000 principal forgiveness loan from the Ohio EPA, Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance, Drinking Water Assistance Fund. Council has authorized city officials to enter into the loan agreement. Council also has passed an ordinance that introduces the Service Lines Investigation, Design and Construction Project and authorizes an amount up to $400,000 to finance it.
Nancy Taylor can be reached at ntaylor@newsandsentinel.com
From the US EPA: "Guidance for Developing and Maintaining a Service Line Inventory."
¯ The service line may be visible where it comes into the building, such as in the basement where it connects to the water meter and/or plumbing. After locating the service line, the pipe can be visually inspected.
¯ A common approach is a scratch and magnet test. If the pipe is a silver metallic color, carefully scratch it with a key or coin. (It is important not to use a sharp object that could puncture the pipe.) If the pipe is soft, scratches easily and reveals a shiny silver color, the pipe is likely lead.
¯ A magnet can be used to confirm pipe material since magnets will only react to steel and will not stick to lead.
¯ Wear gloves when performing a scratch test and clean up any debris when the test is complete.