The Metropolitan District, or MDC, is working to identify any lead materials in the drinking water system and to date has found about 15,000 records where the service line materials are unknown, according to the agency.
The organization has taken on this work as part of its compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions, according to the MDC.
“To be clear, MDC’s water is safe to drink as it has been for over 90 years,” the organization said in a statement.
The rule revision took effect on October 16 and requires “water providers to identify any lead materials in their drinking water system and must make an online inventory of water service lines publicly available,” according to the MDC.
The MDC said its drinking water does not contain lead when it leaves its water treatment plants and “complies with all EPA drinking water regulations,” meaning that the safety of the water has not changed, but the rule revision requires water utilities to verify “materials that the service lines are made of at each individual property” and requires that lines found to contain lead be replaced by 2037.
According to the MDC, a water service line “is the pipe that conveys water from the water main in the street to where it first enters the building,” and it has a customer side and an MDC side
“While the majority of our over 100,000 service line records in the inventory are lead-free, there were four service lines that were found to contain lead which have already been replaced in cooperation with the homeowners, prior to the deadline set by EPA,” according to the MDC. “However, there are approximately 15,000 records where the service line materials are unknown and will require further on-site investigation whether the unknown materials are on the customer or MDC (utility) side of the line.”
The MDC is offering to test internal plumbing for lead as part of the inspections.
See the MDC Water Service Line Inventory Map here.
An MDC spokesman said in determining what service lines were made of, the organization reviewed more than 100,000 physical records, or service cards, which are also referred to as “tap cards.”
The cards are a record of “the service connection of a house to the MDC water main” and contains information such as year installed, size and diameter of the pipe, and material of which the pipe is made, the spokesman said.
MDC
MDC Service Line Graphic
“When someone builds a house they build out the private/property owner side service line from the house to connect to MDC’s infrastructure,” the spokesman said.
The MDC has been contacting customers about identification of unknown service line materials and said customers with “either side of their service lines identified as having ‘unknown’ materials will receive a letter from the MDC in November.”
The letter only means the service line needs further investigation, according to the MDC.
Reporting of materials on an “unknown” service line on the customer side can be done with an online reporting survey or by scheduling an inspection by calling the MDC at 860-808-2347 or by emailing [email protected]. If the unknown material is only on the utility side, MDC will contact the customer, it said. Reporting can be done at https://themdc.org/drinking-water/identify-your-water-service-line/.
The MDC noted that its Board of Commissioners voted recently to fund the replacement of water service lines found to have any lead, though it is not a required under the rule revision.
The MDC also noted that its drinking water is treated with “an orthophosphate-polyphosphate blend at its water treatment facilities which helps reduce the likelihood of lead leaching from service lines or internal plumbing as it makes its way to the faucet and is added at levels approved by the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health.”
“The good news is our customers can remain confident about the high quality of our water and our proactive water treatment measures. MDC and its Board have chosen to replace any water services found to have lead at the MDC’s expense, which is not required by the LCRR program,” said MDC CEO Scott Jellison. “We’ve already replaced the handful of lines identified with lead and stand ready to work diligently with our customers to identify the remaining unknowns.”
MDC Chairman Donald Currey said he appreciates fellow board members supporting customers by “making funding for replacement of lines when necessary.
“While we recognize the importance of additional measures to protect our customers, we also realize the potential impact of the cost for homeowners,” he said. “Enacting this ensures better public health for our customers while keeping affordability in mind.”
MDC member towns are: Bloomfield, East Hartford, Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor. It also provides drinking water to portions of Farmington, Glastonbury, East Granby and South Windsor, which are non-member towns.
For more information, email: [email protected].
