Columbia Water releases initial EPA water service line inventory

In accordance with the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) revised Lead and Copper Rule (LCRR), Columbia Water recently submitted to the state of South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) an initial inventory of the service lines that connect our water mains to our customers’ homes and businesses.

The main goal of the EPA’s LCRR inventory requirement is to determine if any of a water system’s lines are made of lead, so a fair and equitable replacement plan can be developed.  This inventory is described as “initial” because the EPA acknowledged it may take utilities, especially ones the size of Columbia Water, years to identify all their service lines.

Columbia has been able to identify the materials used in all but approximately 900 of its service lines. No known lead service lines exist in the Columbia Water service area, with the material for over 160,000 service lines having been identified.

It is important to note Columbia Water’s drinking water remains in compliance with all State and Federal regulations and is lead-free when it leaves the city’s treatment plant. However, as water travels through our system to our customers’ faucets, lead can enter the water through service lines or the corrosion of private home or building plumbing.

Columbia Water’s treatment process includes a corrosion inhibitor that minimizes the possibility of lead leaching from piping or plumbing fixtures into the water. For decades, Columbia Water’s high-quality performance under the Lead and Copper Rule has been recognized by the EPA and the state of South Carolina, and we remain on a schedule of reduced lead sampling.  Columbia Water performs water testing to ensure our treatment is effective, and our results are published annually in our Water Quality Report which can be found here: colaccr.com.

During the initial inventory, Columbia Water made the following findings:

• Out of the 161,692 service lines in our system, 0 were found to be made of lead.
• 895 lines are designated “unknown.”  The EPA acknowledges in its regulations that water utilities, especially ones the size of Columbia Water, would not be able to identify all its water lines during this initial inventory. Columbia Water will continue its inventory work until all lines are identified, in compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule.

In accordance with EPA requirements, every customer served by a lead, galvanized, or “unknown” line will receive a letter directly from Columbia Water informing them of their finding; what they can do to reduce any possible exposure to lead; and what steps are being taken moving forward. Again, a finding of a lead, galvanized or “unknown” line does not mean a person has been exposed to lead, but that there could be an increased risk of exposure. Columbia Water’s treatment process greatly reduces such a risk, as confirmed by its reduced monitoring requirements.

The initial inventory is available on our website at https://columbiascwater.net/lcrr/. Columbia Water will continue to work to ensure our future compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) announced on October 8, 2024 by the EPA. Columbia Water is reviewing a variety of federal and state funding opportunities to assist with our future Lead and Copper Rule compliance efforts.

The LCRR’s inventory provision requires the nation’s water utilities to determine what materials make up the water service lines on or in the private properties of our customers.  This is a much more difficult part of the regulation because Columbia Water cannot enter our customers’ properties without their permission.

As a result, Columbia Water is continuing to ask our customers for help with identifying their private lines.  We have produced a survey that walks customers through the identification process and makes it easy for them to submit their results.  We continue to ask our customers to take our survey by visiting: https://arcg.is/1D9DHG0.

“While we still have some work to do, we’re proud of our compliance with the EPA’s revised regulations and our protection of our customers from lead,” said Clint Shealy, Assistant City Manager for Columbia Water. “We will always comply with the EPA’s requirements and respectfully ask our customers for their continued help finding lead that may remain in their homes and businesses.”

For more information on Columbia Water’s full compliance with the EPA’s revised Lead and Copper Rule, visit https://columbiascwater.net/lcrr

For more information on Columbia Water’s full compliance with the EPA’s revised Lead and Copper Rule, visit https://columbiascwater.net/lcrr/.  For more information from the EPA about its EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule, visit www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/revised-lead-and-copper-rule.