The City of Bethlehem said Thursday that it has mailed letters to all 37,000 of its water customers regarding the status of their water service lines. The letters are part of the city’s efforts to comply with updated US EPA regulations on lead service lines.
The letters inform customers if their water service line is made of lead, galvanized steel or an unknown material. Officials said most of the service lines are made of unknown materials. They asked customers with unknown service line material to help the city identify it by visiting the Lead Service Lines link on the city’s website.
The website provides a Service Line Inventory Map and instructions on how to identify a home’s service line material. The identified material can then be shared with the city via a form on the website.
Officials emphasized that having an unknown service line material does not necessarily mean customers have a lead service line or that there is an increased lead level in their drinking water. They said lines are equipped with effective corrosion inhibitors designed to prevent lead from leaching into the water from pipes.
The city said it plans to replace lead and galvanized service lines as part of its upcoming lead service line replacement program. However, the city is currently only collecting information on service line materials.
For more information, visit the City of Bethlehem’s website.
This local news story was reported with generative AI assistance.