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    • Stark County water customers are warned about possible lead water lines
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    Stark County water customers are warned about possible lead water lines

    Harry Posted on

    Water officials in Stark County are warning thousands of customers that their water lines may need to be replaced. new safe drinking water rules.

    Customers who have a water service line made of lead, galvanized steel, possibly exposed to lead or a material unknown to the water supplier will receive a letter from their supplier by November 15. Customers whose service lines are made of lead-free bearings and materials such as copper or plastic will not be issued a letter.

    The water service line is the smaller pipe that brings water from the larger main water line into the home or building.

    Letters are required to be sent annually by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to inform the customer what pipe material their water supplier has registered for their property and whether the pipe may contain lead.

    The letters also include tips for limiting exposure to lead, which was banned as a material used in water service lines in 1988. Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause learning and behavioral problems, anemia, and delayed growth in children and may increase the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and kidney or nervous system problems in adults.

    Since the letters are for notification and regulatory purposes, customers do not need to take any action at this time. But new federal regulations will require water lines made of lead, galvanized steel and unknown materials to be replaced within 13 years.

    Customers are generally responsible for replacing service lines, but some area water providers are seeking grants and other funding to cover the cost.

    There are approximately 200 public water system operators in Stark County, including restaurants, churches and apartment buildings that have their own systems.

    Canton Depot contacted Stark County’s four largest public water providers – Canton City, Aqua Ohio, North Canton and Alliance – to better understand what the notification letters and potential replacement requirement could mean for residents.

    Here are three things you need to know:

    1. Water suppliers are required to conduct pipe inventories and publicly disclose the results

    The notification letters are a follow-up to the water pipe inventory, which must be submitted to the state by October 16.

    Public water system officials used historical records, service records and customer surveys to determine the nature of water service lines, which often have divided ownership. The supplier usually owns the pipe from the water main to the street curb, and the customer owns the pipe from the curb to his home or building.

    Dina Pierce, public information officer for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, said the state agency is still reviewing inventory submissions and a county-by-county summary is not yet available. Every water supplier must publicly disclose inventory results. The Canton Water Department, which serves 27,635 Canton customers and 15,240 customers outside the city in areas such as Hartville, East Canton, Beach City and Osnaburg, Lake, Plain and Canton counties, has created an online map showing the financial status of each service on the line cantonohio.gov/2273/Lead-Awareness.

    Canton, Aqua Ohio, which serves about 40,000 customers in the Massillon area and about 100 in North Canton, and the North Canton Water Department, which serves 9,201 customers, could not find any service lines made of lead.

    Serving approximately 10,000 customers, Alliance has identified main service lines at 1,666 customers and is working to replace main lines since 2021.

    2. Receiving a letter does not mean there is lead in your drinking water

    Most notification letters are sent to Stark County because water officials can’t rule out the possibility of lead because they can’t verify the material of the pipe. In some cases, the customer can remove himself from the notification list by identifying the material of the pipe coming to his house and notifying the water supplier.

    Similarly, letters to customers with galvanized steel pipes are being sent because water authorities cannot prove there were never any lead pipes downstream. Galvanized service lines can trap lead released from upstream lead service lines, and over time, particles can enter drinking water, the EPA said.

    Local water officials emphasized that they conduct routine testing to ensure lead levels remain below federal standards.

    Canton’s water supply, which consists of three aquifers, is lead-free and does not have the corrosive water chemistry that causes leakage, reducing the potential for lead exposure, Canton Water Superintendent Tyler Converse said.

    “We have not exceeded action levels in the last 30 years of compliance monitoring, sampling and testing, and we have 30 years of data to back that up,” Converse said.

    See for yourself: Cantonal water quality reports

    Canton will send notification letters to 4,865 customers with unknown material lines and 3,223 customers with galvanized water service lines.

    Aqua Ohio sent notification letters last month to 11,393 Stark County customers with unknown material lines and 1,119 Stark County customers with galvanized steel pipes.

    North Canton is sending 2,378 letters to customers with service lines made of an unknown material. It has no customers with galvanizing lines.

    In addition to the letters Alliance is sending to customers with lead service lines, the city is also sending letters to 3,156 customers with galvanized steel lines that need replacement. The alliance has no unknown supply lines.

    3. New federal rules require replacement of lead and potential lead water lines

    Customers who receive a notification letter are not required to take any action at this time. But new federal rules Released on October 8Requires water providers to replace all lead, galvanized steel and unknown material service lines that need replacement by 2037.

    Aqua Ohio spokesman Jeff La Rue said the water supplier plans to replace the galvanized and unknown material service lines within five years. He said Aqua Ohio, which serves about 500,000 residents in 19 Ohio counties, is working with the EPA to identify some funds it could use to replace service lines at no cost to the customer. Typically, it will be the customer’s responsibility to replace the service line from the curb to the home.

    Canton and North Canton water officials continue to review potential financing and possible legal issues for replacing designated service lines on distribution systems. Canton said the replacement could cost up to $19 million, not including money needed to define the line and annual notifications.

    Alliance Security-Service Director Mike Dreger said Alliance received two $1 million grants to fund the cost of replacing major service lines. The work is expected to be completed in mid-2025. He said the city expects to later apply for 50% grants for other service line replacements.

    Reach Canton Repository staff writer Kelli Weir at 330-580-8339 or [email protected].

    Tips to reduce your exposure to lead in drinking water

    • Flush your faucet if it has not been used for six hours or more to remove any lead that may have accumulated over time. Service lines should be flushed until you notice a temperature change, then flushed for another minute.

    • Use cold water for cooking, drinking and preparing baby food, as lead dissolves more easily in hot water. If necessary, use cold water from the tap and then heat it. Boiling water does not reduce lead.

    • Use an ANSI/NSF 53 certified lead filter to reduce lead levels in water.

    • Clean your faucet aerators regularly to remove any lead-containing particles that may have accumulated inside the vents.

    • Take extra precautions for pregnant women, infants, and young children, such as analyzing drinking water for lead, using bottled water or another alternative water source, or using a filter to remove lead.

    • Replace lead-containing plumbing fixtures, such as old faucets and valves.

    • Have your child’s blood tested for lead at your local health department.

    • Ask your water supplier if they offer free water testing.

    Source: Cantonal Water Department notification letters

    Harry
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