Checking Your Home for Lead Water Pipes
At the end of October, all Collegeville and Trappe Borough residents received a mailed notice from our Public Works Department informing them that Public Works is inventorying all our Boroughs’ water service lines. The inventory is required by the PA DEP under the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions. The purpose of the inventory is to determine if any water pipes remain in the boroughs made of lead. Because the inventory has just started, the Boroughs’ service lines are currently classified by the PA DEP as “lead status unknown.”
However, there is actually a lot that we do know. Our Public Works Department is small, and Director Joe Hastings has kept in touch with many previous employees. The Department also still has all the original meter books dating back to when our municipal water service started in 1936. These books contain information on pipe replacements, and effectively document the history of our water line replacements pre-computer.
“Based on my knowledge of the water system over the last 35 years–which includes working with previous employees of the department, some of whom were working here since 1955– I am confident that there are no lead service lines in our system,” Joe says. “However, there are certain requirements and information that will need to be documented and reported to PA DEP to verify the absence of lead service lines. We will be collecting and reporting this information to PA DEP over the next year.”
Joe continues, “I was able to locate specs and plans dating back to at least 1965 stating that all our water service lines were required to be made of copper.” This requirement applied not only to the water lines installed by Public Works, but also to developers and their plumbers working on borough homes. So owners of homes in developments built after 1965, such as Stratford Farms, Collegeville Green, College Park, Collegeville Crossing, and Collegeville Glen can be assured that their water lines are free of lead. Newer homes, such as the Freeland Square townhomes, have safe plumbing made of polyethylene.
If your home was built before 1965 and you are unsure of the status of your water pipes, our Public Works Department provides a free inspection service. They will come out to your house, and if they find that your water pipes do contain lead, or were built with galvanized piping requiring replacement, they will provide you with information about line replacement along with financing opportunities. You can reach Joe Hastings and/or Public Works by calling 610 489 2831.
