Regarding 'The Water Service Line' Letter You May Have Received
11/14/2024
FOR THE MOST RECENT UPDATE ON THIS SUBJECT, PLEASE VISIT OUR WATER UTILITIES PAGE.
A recent EPA mandate requires water systems to create a service line inventory. This is an inventory of every service line in the city that runs from the meter to the house. A new EPA mandate forces all cities to create this inventory. These lines are the property of the homeowner, therefore the homeowner’s responsibility. The city has never kept track of these lines as far as material condition or even location.
When the City was asked to create this inventory, we had a lot of unknown information about the homeowner service lines. If your service line was marked as an unknown, the city was required to send you the letter that you have received. New Plymouths’ water system contains no lead. The first paragraph of the letter that you received clearly says that “your water service line is unknown.”
The city has more than ten (10) homes that have been selected by DEQ based on the year they were built; those homes are tested frequently and have never exceeded limits set by EPA regarding lead. New Plymouth has received a grant to help with this survey and will send a team to help determine service line materials for every water service in town. A date for this has not been set yet. Please understand this is only regarding the service line that runs from the City’s meter to your home. This new mandate requests that the city do their due diligence to determine the material of your service line and notify the homeowner if there is a possibility your line could contain lead. If your home was built after 1988 or your service line was replaced after 1988, the quality of your water should be fine.
If you wish to have your water tested, at your expense, there are a few labs locally. The city uses Analytical laboratories in Boise, their phone number is 208-342-5515. If you have any further questions, please email our Public Works Superintendent, Beau Ziemer Beau@NPIdaho.com