Following new federal rules aimed at getting rid of any remaining lead pipes, water authorities in Pennsylvania are asking customers to identify the material of the water service lines in their homes.
Brian Heiser is the executive director of the State College Borough Water Authority.
“We do not believe there's any lead lines remaining in State College," Heiser said. "An effort was made decades ago to remove any lead connectors.”
But State College and other water authorities are still checking to comply with federal rules.
Published in October, the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements say all drinking water systems in the United States must identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years. Lead is a neurotoxin that can cause health problems, including behavior and learning problems in children.
Every water system had to submit a service line inventory to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in October. That means water authorities had to identify the types of lines coming from their end into homes.
Heiser said the State College Borough Water Authority sent more than 8,000 letters to homes with unknown water line materials or homes with galvanized pipes that need to be replaced. Galvanized pipes, which are a dark gray color, can break down over time and allow lead materials from connectors or other lines to leech into the water.
Heiser said many of the pipes in the State College area are copper, which are the same color as pennies.
Heiser said lead is most likely not an issue in the State College region, but added, “We want to be absolutely sure."
Daniel Ramsey, the public relations officer for the Altoona Water Authority, said the authority has not identified any lead pipes.
"We have no worry for lead being in our water," Ramsey said.
Ramsey said the authority tests 70 water sources for lead each month and has never found any contamination. Still, he said they’ve sent 19,000 letters to residents asking them to check their service lines.
“We've had over 1,000 self evaluations. We've had over 500 appointments, and we are completely full, from the whole month of December through February," Ramsey said. "I think that's very, very proactive of the city of Altoona, (and) of the residents.”
Pennsylvania American Water, which serves Philipsburg, Warren and Kane, had been replacing lead pipes for several years before the new EPA rules. A spokesperson for the company said they have replaced more than 1,000 lead and galvanized service lines across Pennsylvania since 2022. That includes a total of 21 replacements in Philipsburg, Kane and Warren.
Most water authorities, including in Altoona and State College, have an online option to identify your service line type and determine if you need a replacement.
