Water Authority will inventory every service line looking for lead over the next 10 years

Over a year into searching, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority has found no lead pipes. The Water Authority is checking service lines for lead because of a federal Environmental Protection Agency requirement.

Lead in drinking water is bad for human health even at low exposure levels and especially for children. Lead can get into drinking water if plumbing materials that contain lead corrode, according to the EPA’s Ground Water and Drinking Water webpage.

The U.S. banned lead pipes in 1986. However, some communities still have many lead service lines, and most communities do not have comprehensive records of the materials used in service lines. So, the EPA issued an updated rule in October that requires water systems across the country to find and replace lead pipes within the next 10 years.

Contemporary water service lines are made of copper or plastic, said Water Authority Compliance Division Manager Danielle Shuryn.

“We don’t have any data that points to us thinking that we will find a big patch of lead service lines,” Shuryn said. “We’re finding a lot of galvanized steel, and we expected that, but we don’t have records that show we have a lot of lead or ever really have.”

Plumbing codes did allow lead pipes to be used in New Mexico prior to 1986, but so far no lead service lines have been found in Bernalillo County and few have been found in New Mexico, Shuryn said.

If a lead line is identified, the Water Authority will work with the property owner to collect water samples to test for lead and can teach customers how to flush their lines before using the water to reduce exposure to lead before the lines get replaced.

Water service lines bring water from the water main in the street to the plumbing in a home or building. At the meter is where ownership of water service lines is divided: the Water Authority owns the line from the water meter to the water main and the homeowner is responsible for the line from the water meter to their home. The water meter is typically located in the sidewalk.

The Water Authority is able to check the material of the line going to the street and the material of the line going to the house from the water meter. If the agency finds any lead pipes, it will notify property owners. Residents can also request testing if they are concerned that their water is contaminated.

Along with checking lines at the meter, the Water Authority is also collecting data on the history of the service lines with the Bernalillo County Assessor’s Office and through voluntary customer submissions, as customers often have better records of line repairs and replacements.

The EPA rule also requires the Water Authority to test for lead in elementary schools and child care facilities. Next year, the Water Authority will begin that process. That testing will go a step further than checking water service lines. The Water Authority will also test water samples from kitchens and water fountains. Albuquerque Public Schools have previously done a lot of lead testing in schools and replaced plumbing when needed, Shuryn said.

More information is available at abcwua.org/your-drinking-water-lead-copper.