CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia American Water Company, the state’s largest water provider, is working to bring its system into compliance with federal EPA regulations enacted in 2021.
Under the federal mandate, all lead pipes in all public water systems must be identified and made known to the public.
West Virginia American has created an interactive map which will highlight all customers on their system. They’re now in what company External Affairs Manager Bradley Harris called the “inventory” phase of the vast project.
“This is just the inventory phase of this process. Completion is by the end of 2031. At that point is when we’ll have a plan,” said Harris.
The plan he’s talking about will be how to eventually eliminate all lead lines.
Customers of the company are encouraged to visit the interactive map, enter their address, then follow steps provided to identify the type of service lines they have in their homes. Service lines carry water from the main to the home. The water meter is the dividing point between the company’s lines and the homeowner’s part of the process. Harris said there are clear instructions on how to determine the composition of service lines within a home.
“We ask them to identify the portion of the service line to be tested and then identify the pipe material. The identification is based on appearance, thread to connection, or magnet stick. So it can be lead, galvanized, steel, copper, brass, or plastic,” explained Harris.
Much of the determination can be made on the age of the structure. Homes built prior to 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes than newer construction.
The EPA has a goal of eliminating lead from the water service process for good, but the first phase is to build an inventory of what needs to be done. Harris said the process which will take time. The deadline for the inventory completion is the end of October.
Harris said they’ll put together the full plan in the months following the inventory phase.