The City of Sumner needs your help to identify the potential lead piping locations for the purpose of comprehensive documentation. Exposure to lead in water can have significant health implications.
Why take the Lead Service Line Survey?
The City of Sumner is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, and there are no known lead pipes in our service lines. However, we cannot control the variety of materials used in private lines and plumbing components. Please help us understand better what kind of pipes you have at your Sumner property by taking the Lead Service Line Survey. This initiative is in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), established in 2021 to enhance drinking water safety and minimize lead exposure. The EPA mandates the submission of a Lead Service Line Inventory by October 16, 2024, to locate and eliminate all lead pipes.
Lead pipes pose a significant health risk when used for drinking water, particularly in homes built before 1986. Again, we have no known lead pipes in our main service lines, but there may be lead in private service lines connecting to the main water system. The Washington State Department of Health has indicated that service lines with unknown lead status are considered lead service lines under the LCRR until proven otherwise.
How to complete this Survey?
To ensure accurate information regarding water service lines, we kindly ask for your assistance in verifying records of installation or replacement. If you possess any documentation pertaining to the installation or replacement of your water service line, take a photo and fill out the Survey web form (below), then submit both directly to cleanwater@sumnerwa.gov by Jun 30, 2024.
If records are unavailable, we’re conducting tests to determine the pipe material. Please indicate your willingness to participate in the pipe material testing process, allowing us to efficiently gather essential data about water service lines.
Step 1: Testing Area Identification
Find the location of the shut-off Valve and identify a test area between the point where it comes into the house and the valve.
NOTE: The incoming water service in your home can either come up from the basement floor or out of the side wall in the basement. If you do not have a basement, the incoming water service should come up through the floor on the main level.
Step 2: Test the pipe with a magnet and scratch test to identify the material of the pipe.
Iron pipe: Cast iron pipe is recognizable by its black finish and the bulge at the end of each pipe section, called a “hub,” that the adjacent pipe fits into. A magnet will stick to an iron pipe.
Galvanized Steel Pipe: A magnet will stick to a galvanized pipe. Scratch the pipe with a coin. If the scraped area remains dull gray, the service line material is galvanized steel.
Lead Pipe: A magnet will not stick to a lead pipe. Scratch the pipe with a coin. If the scraped area is shiny silver and flakes off, the service line material is lead.
Copper Pipe: A magnet will not stick to a copper pipe. Scratch the pipe with a penny. If the scraped area is copper in color, like a penny, your service line material is copper.
Step 3: Take a photo of the testing result and fill out the Survey web form, then submit both directly to cleanwater@sumnerwa.gov by Jun 30, 2024.
Survey Form
