Re: Action Required
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: YOUR DRINKING WATER SERVICE LINE LEAD STATUS IS UNKNOWN
Dear Customer:
As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure the safety and quality of your drinking water, Albertson Water District has recently completed a survey of service lines within our community to meet United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory requirements. We continuously prioritize protecting the health of every resident in our community which is why we are writing to inform you of this important matter concerning the water service lines in your areas.
ACTION REQUIRED – The Albertson Water District has no records identifying the materials of either a part of, or the entire length of, your property’s water service line that delivers drinking water to your home/building. All of or a part of your service line may be made of lead. We would like to confirm. Please contact us to schedule an inspection.
We regularly test for lead at the end of our treatment process. Testing has shown that lead is not an issue in the water leaving any of our water treatment facilities. We also conduct testing in our distribution system in accordance with EPA regulatory requirements. Today, there is a growing awareness that some older homes service lines or internal piping may have lead or galvanized pipes and/or lead components including connectors and fixtures. Please share this information with anyone who drinks and/or cooks using water at this property. This can include employees, tenants, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, businesses, childcares or daycares, in addition to any person directly served at this property.
By October 16, 2024, the EPA required every water provider in the nation to develop and submit a water service line inventory identifying the pipes connecting the water main to a property, home or business. The District has completed the initial service line inventory and is now notifying residents of their service line material according to District’s records. If you don’t already know, it is important for you to be aware of the composition of the materials of your service line.
The current service line inventory for the entire District is available for viewing at our office located at 184 Shepherd Lane, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577. The information will also soon be available on our website at www.albertsonwater.org or on the New York State Department of Health website at https://health.data.ny.gov.
More About Water Service Lines
A service line is the pipe connecting the water main to the building. In the District, as the residential property owner, you own the water service line from inside the house to the curb shutoff valve or curb stop, and are responsible for any repairs or upgrades to the water service, while the District owns and maintains the remainder. When any section of the service line material is unknown, we need to categorize it as a “lead status unknown” service line.
The figure below represents a typical scenario for a water service line in many cases, but does not represent all scenarios:
Redrawn and modified from Guidance for Developing and Maintaining a Service Line Inventory, EPA, August 2022
We don’t know what your service line or portion of it is made of. Until it can be confirmed that the entire length of your service line is not made of lead, we will continue to provide information about lead in drinking water once a year so you can take precautionary measures to minimize your potential exposure to lead in drinking water. We encourage you to have a professional plumber evaluate whether the internal plumbing, connections, or fixtures and/or what your service line is constructed of and whether or not it contains lead materials. If confirmed that lead is present, it should be replaced. Discuss the replacement options available with your plumber/contractor. Please keep us informed when this work is proposed to be completed and when it has been completed so we may update our records accordingly.
More information on lead, including steps that can be taken to reduce your exposure to lead, can be found in the enclosed brochure, and information regarding the presence of lead within our District is included in our Annual Water Quality Report, which can be found on our website at www.albertsonwater.org.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding. Should you have any questions or concerns about this consumer notification, you can contact us at the office at (516) 621-3610 or contact the NCDH at (516) 227-9692.
Sincerely,
Albertson Water District
