WE NEED YOUR HELP! LEAD SERVICE LINE INVENTORY
As part of a nationwide mandate to identify the location of lead service lines, PWSD#3 is conducting an inventory of all its water service lines. This required inventory will include information about the material used on both sides of the water meter.
WE NEED YOUR HELP - Service lines can be made of many different materials such as plastic, copper, HDPE, PEX, galvanized steel and lead.
As part of this inventory, we ask you to answer a few questions about your water service line and upload a photo of your service line material, if possible. The inventory form is very short and can be found at the bottom of this page. Completed inventory forms can be emailed to PWSD#3 at [email protected], dropped off in person at our office address or in the drop box, or mailed to PWSD#3 at 210 Main St., P.O. Box 266, Holt, MO 64048.
To save time, you can click here to complete the inventory form online.
Please take the time to respond to this inventory as this will help determine if you or your family have a lead exposure risk. If you are unsure or unable to identify the material, please contact the PWSD#3 office at (816) 320-3343.
Renters: If you are renting, you can ask the owner or manager what the service line material is made of. If they don’t know, they can use the same techniques listed below to identify the material of the service line.
HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR SERVICE LINE MATERIAL:
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Records of Repair or Installation: If you had your service line installed or replaced and remember when, and what it is made of, you can let us know. If you can provide us with a copy of a record of what the service line is made of, such as an invoice for the work, that would be even better.
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Date of Construction: On January 1, 1989, Missouri banned the use of leaded pipe and solder in plumbing. If your home was built in or after 1989, most likely your service line is not lead. However, PWSD#3 is still required to record the material composition of the service line.
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Visual Inspection, Scratch Test, & Magnet Test: If you don’t know the material composition of your service line, you can perform a visual inspection where the service line enters the inside of your home. The service line usually enters through the foundation or basement wall.
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Plastic: Plastic, such as PVC, HDPE, PEX, etc., is easy to identify because most people have come in contact with it in the past.
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Copper: When new, copper appears shiny, like a new penny and green when older and weathered.
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Galvanized: Galvanized pipe appears as silver-gray when newer and gray to rusty when old. A magnet will stick to a galvanized pipe.
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Lead: Lead appears as gray to a blue-gray color, and when scratched, lead becomes shiny like a new nickel. Lead service lines can also have a wiped lead joint or bulb at locations where it attaches to other metals, or fittings which actually look like a snake that just ate something. A magnet will NOT stick to lead.
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You can use the above tests to help identify your service line material. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) provides pictures of how to test the service line material inside your home. Click on the following link to access the MoDNR photos: https://dnr.mo.gov/document-search/how-identify-your-water-service-line-material-pub3052
The MoDNR website also provides additional resources, including a video, to educate and assist citizens in identifying their service line material. These resources can be found by clicking on the following link: https://dnr.mo.gov/water/business-industry-other-entities/technical-assistance-guidance/lead-service-lines
If you are unable to access these online resources, or if you are unsure or unable to identify the material, please contact the PWSD#3 office at (816) 320-3343. We can provide a photo of what these materials look like.
If you discover that your service line is made of lead, we can provide you with information concerning the following: the health effects of lead in drinking water and things you can do to reduce the amount of lead in your drinking water.
Please contact us to report your service line material or to request our help identifying your service line material. The lead service line inventory is a huge undertaking for our water district and your help is greatly appreciated.
