Letters warn some Tri-Citians of water pipes of ‘unknown material.’ Should you be worried?
Some Tri-Cities residents will receive letters from the cities where they live notifying them that their homes contain water pipes made of an unknown material that may potentially include lead.
The letters were prompted by a new federal Environmental Protection Agency regulation created in October, the Lead and Copper Rule Revised, which requires cities to identify and document materials used in drinking water pipes.
Home owners must be notified if the material type of their pipes is unknown.
However, getting a notification letter does not indicate that the home has lead pipes.
The use of lead has been banned in water systems since 1986, and most water pipes are now made of copper or plastic.
Both Pasco and Richland public works departments have sent letters to residents.
A city of Kennewick spokesperson told the Tri-City Herald on Friday afternoon that it wasn’t immediately known when their letters would be sent. Public works staff at the City of West Richland could not be reached.
On Monday morning, Bob Pepple, operations supervisor at the city of Kennewick, told the Tri-City Herald that the city does not plan to send out letters and instead has an inventory of water lines posted on the city’s website.
Kennewick’s latest round of water testing for lead and copper was completed in 2016, where 30 water samples were taken from residential homes. All results from this last round of testing and previous testing were below the Environmental Protection Agency’s Action Level.
Pasco officials say they have verified materials used in more than 60% of existing pipes and confirmed that none contain lead, according to the city’s website. The city expects it will take up to three years to determine the materials of the remaining pipes.
Richland also has not found any lead water pipes.
Richland Public Works staff are currently inspecting properties with pipes made of unknown materials. Only 370 of over 21,500 locations require material identification, according to the city’s website.
The regulation primarily addresses parts of the U.S. with a historical presence of lead pipes, like Eastern states, but all water systems are required by the Environmental Protection Agency to verify materials in pipes.
It is part of a nationwide effort to identify and remove lead pipes from water systems and protect communities from potential lead exposure in drinking water.
Residents can help identify lead pipes in their homes using a guide from the Environmental Protection Agency.
This story was originally published November 16, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
