EPA rules require service line survey, notices

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions became effective Oct. 16.

After completion of a service line inventory, systems are required to send public notice by Nov. 15 to any customer with a service line of one of the following material classifications:

Lead — Any portion of the service line is known to be lead (excluding lead goosenecks or pigtails).

Galvanized — The service line is known to be galvanized and is or was at any time downstream of a lead service line or “lead status unknown” service line. Galvanized lines that were never downstream of a lead service line do not require public notice.

Lead status unknown — The material of the service line or any portion is unknown and there are no records or timeline based on a city ordinance or the national lead ban of 1988 to prove the service line is not lead.

The material categorization of each service line can be found in column R of the Iowa DNR Service Line Inventory spreadsheet template, with the summary tab of the spreadsheet containing totals of each classification category.

Service line material notification templates and a fact sheet with more information and frequently asked questions are available on the Department's lead service line inventories website.

The DNR is still processing and validating the service line inventories received in the last two weeks. We anticipate issuing formal letters to systems with this public notice requirement this week.

Please wait to resubmit your service line inventory if you have revisions. If you need to make updates to the initial inventory you submitted, please make them in your spreadsheet document at this time and wait to resubmit a revised inventory to the DNR until further communication.

We are unable to accept revisions at this time because we are still processing and validating the initial inventories submitted. We will release guidance in the future on how to revise the initial service line inventory.