HOUSTON — The City of Houston announced a plan in October to identify and replace lead pipes across the city as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR).
The LCRR requires water utilities to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years, to ensure communities have access to clean drinking water, a news release stated.
Houston Public Works says it is working to identify the type of materials used in both the city’s water service lines and each customer’s private water service lines. A private service line connects a customer’s water pipes to the city’s water main.
“If the material of a service line is unknown, there is a possibility that it may be made of lead or galvanized pipe,” a news release stated. “People living or working in properties with lead or galvanized pipes previously connected to lead are at an increased risk of exposure to lead from their drinking water.”
Currently, Houston Public Works officials said they have not found any lead pipes in their service lines.
Houston Public Works officials reportedly sent notices to 429,662 customers in their water bills to inform them that their water service line is made of unknown materials.
“Because the city does not have information about these private service lines, there is a possibility that they may be made of lead or galvanized pipe that was at one point connected to lead,” the release said.
Anyone with a service line of unknown material should have received the notification letter by mail no later than Nov. 15, 2024.
Source: City of Houston
