Water Service Line Inventory

What is the Water Service Line Inventory Project?

The Water Service Line Inventory Project is a regulatory requirement of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) newly revised Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR).

In 2021, US EPA published revisions to the lead and copper rule that are intended to better protect children and communities from lead exposure risks and support efforts to remove lead from drinking water. The revisions require all Public Water Systems to complete an inventory of all service lines connected to their distribution system and develop a Lead Service Line Replacement Plan. The inventory must include the pipe material and other information for both the system-owned and private-owned portions of the service line between the water main and a structure.

The goal is to eliminate all non-copper services from the water distribution system. Non-copper services may be made of lead or other materials that can corrode, leak or fail over time. Through this program, non-copper piping will be replaced with copper piping from the water main (street) to the water meter (basement) at eligible properties.  Auburn Water District will coordinate with owner to obtain private property access to complete this work.

The Inventory and Replacement Plan must be submitted by October 2024.

Activities planned for the project include:

In working toward a lead-free water distribution system for its customers, the Auburn Water District applied for and received Financial Assistance under the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) to complete the water service line inventory and lead service line replacement plan. Activities planned for the project include:

• reviewing existing records that may contain information on the material of each service line.
• distributing a survey with instructions so customers may provide information or photos of their service line to help identify the pipe material.
• conducting service line inspections in person where Auburn Water District staff and/or a contractor will inspect the service line as it enters a customer’s property.
• providing public education and notification materials to customers and the community regarding lead and development of the inventory and replacement plan.

The Auburn Water District is committed to providing its customers with a safe and reliable source of drinking water and regularly conducts sampling for lead in accordance with state and federal requirements. Information regarding lead in drinking water is provided in the Water District’s Annual Water Quality Report.   The District’s website will be updated regularly to include information on the new requirements under the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions, the status of funding under the DWSRF, and additional details on those activities listed above to develop the inventory.

For more information on lead in drinking water please visit:

MassDEP: https://www.mass.gov/lead-in-drinking-water

US EPA: https://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead

Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative: https://www.lslr-collaborative.org/