In response to new federal and state regulations, the City of Newport today published a press release announcing that its Water Division is currently assessing both private and public service lines across the City for the presence of lead.
The new regulations, which went into effect earlier this year, require all water utilities across the country to assess their water service lines for the potential presence of lead in an effort to better guard communities and especially children from the risk of lead exposure in drinking water.
While Newport’s drinking water leaves state of the art treatment plants free from contamination, like many historic communities, the City’s water distribution network also contains a significant number of older homes and buildings, many of which may still have lead service lines. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Lead and Copper Rule Revision and the Rhode Island Lead Poisoning Prevention Act (LPPA) aim to protect the public by reducing their exposure to lead in drinking water.
While the drinking water that leaves our treatment plants meeting or exceeding all state and federal water quality standards, it may pick up lead in the system through the corrosion of plumbing materials with buildings constructed before 1986 more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures and solder.
“We want to assure our customers that Newport’s drinking water is safe and is tested regularly,” according to Rob Schultz, Newport Director of Utilities. “The work we are doing now, in compliance with new federal and state regulations, is to develop a detailed inventory of all our water service lines, including the customer’s side of the service line on their property. To accomplish that, we need the community’s help to evaluate their service lines, and we’ll be reaching out with letters about what people need to do.”
The goal for the City is ultimately to achieve Lead Zero. Over the coming weeks, the Water Division will be working toward that goal by:
- Submitting an inventory of our service line material to Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH). This initial inventory documents the material of each service line within Newport’s water system, both publicly owned portions and privately owned portions. (The City is responsible the service lines from the water main to the curb stop, and private property owners responsible for the water main from the curb stop to the faucets.)
- Mailing notification letters to all customers who are served by either a lead service line or a service line of unknown material by November 15, 2024.
- Publishing a lead service line inventory map on the City’s website for public access
- And conducting Tier 1 Public Notifications for Action Level Exceedances, should a lead action level exceedance (over 15 parts per billion) occur after compliance sampling.
For residents, in addition to submitting a lead service line inventory to the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), the City will also make the data publicly accessible through the City’s Lead & Drinking Water webpage. In addition, by mid-November, residents can expect to receive letters from the City telling them whether (a) their property is known to have a lead service line, or (b) the material in their service line is unknown. If a lead service line is detected, the City will follow up with next steps. If the service line material is unknown, residents will be directed to a short online survey guiding them on how to identify and report the findings to the City. Residents who do not receive a letter do not have a lead or unknown service line.
Schultz adds “The City of Newport remains dedicated to maintaining transparency and ensuring public safety throughout this process, as we continue to meet federal and state regulations regarding lead in drinking water. We want to assure residents that these actions are precautionary and are not the result of any detected water quality issues within City’s water system. However, your help is crucial in planning future lead service line replacement work.”
For more information and updates, please visit the City of Newport’s Lead & Drinking Water webpage or contact the Newport Water Department at (401) 845-5600 or LeadInfo@CityofNewport.com. The City’s Consumer Confidence Report, an annual water quality report, is available at www.CityofNewport.com/CCR
