Public Notice:  No Lead Service Pipelines Detected Districtwide

To the customers of Lusted Water District:

In the fall of 2024, Lusted Water District successfully completed the Service Line Inventory, a project mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review the water service pipeline materials in our system.  No lead service lines were detected districtwide.

A "service line" or "service pipeline" is the small diameter tube, usually 3/4" or 1" in size, that is buried and extends from the public water main to the water meter, and then from the water meter to the customer's structure.  The concern of the EPA and OHA is that service lines constructed prior to 1986 may be made from lead.  OHA has concluded that service lines installed after 1985 are considered non-lead, as this is when the lead ban was enacted in the state.

Results:  Between the water main and the customer water meter, all service lines observed in the Lusted Water District are made from copper.  On the customer side of the water meter, there were various pipe materials observed including copper, galvanized steel, PVC, PEX, or other type of plastic pipe.  None of which are a material prohibited by the EPA or OHA.

Procedure: Under the guidance of the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the EPA, we first examined historical water system records and performed visual inspections to produce an initial inventory of service lines that may have been constructed prior to 1986.   Next, our water operator conducted a thorough visual inspection of a random sample of 20% (59) of these older service lines and found none made from lead.  Service line pipe material was inspected in the proximity of the customer's water meter, by excavating on both the customer side and the public side of the water meter.   The means and methods of the service line inventory, including the statistical methods, were reviewed and approved by the OHA.

All remaining uninspected service lines are predicted to be made with non-lead material, with a 95% statistical confidence level, based on the results of the random survey of 20% of service lines that were constructed prior to 1986.

Posted November 7, 2024.