Conducting a records review and customer outreach to fill gaps in a town’s lead service line inventory

Town of Maynard Lead and Copper Rule Revisions - Water Service Inventory

To comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) recent Lead and Copper Rule Revisions, the Town of Maynard needed to determine the material makeup of more than 4,100 unique service lines in their community. They reached out to us to help.

We digitized and reviewed the service line associated tie and tap cards and as-built record drawings, which dated back to the 1950s. We found most lines on the public side of the water service line equation are copper. To tackle the private side of the pipes, the Town is incorporating the use of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s (MassDEP’s) Mass Lead Service Line Identification web app. This allows customers to attempt to identify their service line material. We’re also helping to communicate and convey the importance of this project to the community.

Once homeowners have supplied information, we review the intake form data to confirm or set up inspection appointments with homeowners to validate their pipes’ material. With elevated lead levels found within the system, these steps will help us finalize the Town’s inventory submission and identify properties needing pipe replacement.