The Northern Kentucky Water District is sending out more than 23,000 postcards to notify customers about possible lead water service lines.
The notifications are required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s revised Lead and Copper Rule. NKWD and all other utilities must notify customers with service lines made from lead, galvanized steel or other unknown material.
This is the second year that NKWD has sent out notifications. Most of them are about lines made from unknown material.
What to do if you receive a postcard
If you get a letter indicating your water service line material is unknown, the water district wants you to tell them what it is made of.
“The postcard notification that they will receive has a QR code — has a link that takes them to our website where we have pictures, we have [a] step-by-step guide for how to identify that service line and how to report it,” said Sarah Sgantas, NKWD’s communications and public outreach manager.
She says it’s important to look at the line where it comes into the house when identifying its material.
NKWD has created a service line inventory map where people can search for information about customer-owned and public portions of a service line.
Why is this information needed?
Sgantas said the EPA rule revised in 2021 requires NKWD to gather this inventory in order to create a plan to eventually replace lead service lines.
“The main thing for us is really trying to understand where those lead service lines are and how many exist in our system,” Sgantas said. “This helps us with project planning. This also helps us with obtaining grants to help with private lead service line replacement.”
What to do if you have lead service lines
If you receive a letter indicating your water service line is made of lead, you can take steps to protect your health.
“Run your water to flush out potential lead,” Sgantas said. “Especially if the faucet or water hasn't been used for several hours, you can just run the water for a few minutes to help clear anything that's been sitting in the line.”
She also recommends using cold water, cleaning the faucet screen and aerator, and utilizing a water filter that’s certified to remove lead.
Sgantas says the water leaving NKWD treatment plants does not contain lead.
If you have any questions or concerns for NKWD regarding lead in drinking water, you can contact them at (859) 578-5451 or via email at SLI@nkywater.org.
Read more: