Water Service Notice You May Have Received

The City of Salem Engineering Department has received word from MassDEP that due to a change in federal regulations, the city must notify residents and businesses throughout the city about the possibility of lead or lead-containing materials in their drinking water service lines. Due to the regulations, letters have had to be sent right away. Three versions of the letter were sent:

• 17 Letters indicated confirmation that the piping contains galvanized steel
• 73 Letters indicated confirmation that the piping contains lead
• 3,482 Letters indicated that the city has not yet been able to confirm whether or not the service line is galvanized or contains lead

This is out of 10,285 total water service lines in Salem. You may have received one of these letters at your home or business property. The City of Salem Engineering Department has compiled this information to help answer any questions you may have about the letter you might have received.

You can help ensure safer drinking water by checking and cleaning out aerators on faucets, and checking on the status of any filters or drinking water systems.

What are ways to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water?

These recommendations are best practices that we should all always be employing to reduce exposure at work, home and wherever we drink water:

• Run your water to flush out lead for at least a minute.
• Clean your aerator, which is the faucet screen.
• Use a filter certified by NSF to remove lead. Here is a list to certified filters.
• Exclusively use filtered water for drinking/consuming, even for coffee machines, etc.
• Identifying and replacing plumbing fixtures containing lead and any copper piping with lead solder, especially those used for drinking water.

What is a service line?

A service line is a pipe connecting the water main* to the interior plumbing in a building. The service line may be owned wholly by the water system or customer, or in some cases, ownership may be split between the water system and the customer. In cases where ownership is split, ownership of the customer tends to begin at the curb stop**; though this is not the case for every system.

*A water main is a pipe that conveys water to a connector or customer's service line. In residential areas, it is usually located underground.

**A curb stop is an exterior valve located at or near the property line that is used to turn on and off water service to the building.

The letters being sent out are focused on the customer-owned service lines.

How to Verify if my Pipe has Lead:

The homeowner is able to quickly verify their piping material by going to the water meter, usually located in the cellar/basement, and identifying the pipe coming out of the building and into the water meter. Items needed to do the verification process are a coin and a magnet.

Lead pipe service lines are generally a dull gray color and are very soft. A magnet will not stick to lead pipe. They can be identified easily by carefully scratching them with a key or coin. If the pipe is made of lead, the area you've scratched will turn a bright silver color. Do not use a knife or other sharp instrument and take care not to puncture a hole in the pipe.

Galvanized iron pipes are dull gray in color. A magnet will stick to galvanized steel pipe. When scratched with a key, the same dull gray color will appear.

Copper pipe will be reddish in color. A magnet will not stick to copper pipe.

Testing the PIPE, not the water, will help determine if the pipe is lead or galvanized and may need to be replaced.

Residents are able to go to the EPA's website to learn more about the step-by-step process. If you received a letter, you will find a QR code on the second page titled "US EPA Protect Your Tap Tool" that directs residents to the website.

What happens if piping comes out to be lead or galvanized?

The homeowner or property owner can choose to finance the replacement of the service line, the MassDEP offers a loan with no interest for the replacement process. In the meantime, homeowners or residents can install a point of use filter at sinks.

If you would like to update the MassDEP about your service line please use the MassDEP Lead Service Line Identification Tool presented in the QR code in the letter you received.

Is this related at all to recent reports of discolored water in Salem?

This is completely unrelated to any recent reports related to Salem water of any kind. These letters have been sent out simply in response to a change in federal regulations, and every municipality must comply.

Please reach out to the City of Salem Engineering Department at (978) 619-5673 if you have any questions or concerns.

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