Lead Water Pipes

Here's the map:

https://njaw.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2aa6e04ed2204b86a6bd233600870dc2#

And the lead facts page:

https://www.amwater.com/njaw/Water-Quality/Lead-and-Drinking-Water/

It sounds like our lines are safe - you can change them yourselves at your expense.  Or the alternative will be to wait for NJ American Water to replace them sometime in the next 10 years.  It would be cool if they had a progress map that showed where and when they are making replacements.

Here's their answer as to when you will get yours replaced:

New Jersey American Water is committed to removing all lead service lines within the next ten years. New Jersey American Water will work with customers to verify the pipe material of the customer’s service line. If the service line is confirmed to be lead or galvanized steel, which is now being treated like lead according to the new state law, New Jersey American Water will work to have those service lines replaced in accordance with the company’s replacement plan. Customers can still use their water as you normally would as the water provided by New Jersey American Water continues to meet state and federal water quality standards, including those set for lead.

Annually, New Jersey American Water plans to have identified work areas for the following year. Several factors drive when and where service lines are replaced. The company prioritizes communities who are most vulnerable and at-risk from lead exposure, particularly infants and children. Areas with large numbers of facilities that serve these populations, such as schools and daycares, are prioritized. Other determining factors include areas with the highest concentration of lead service lines, underserved neighborhoods and coordination with other known construction activity.

Once work areas are identified, the company will determine the timing for individual properties in that work area. Once a property has been identified for a service line replacement, the company will send additional information about the replacement process and next steps. This notification typically comes a month or two before the anticipated replacement date.

Additionally, the company will also replace any customer-owned lead service line with a copper or plastic water line, at no direct charge to the customer, when discovered during a main replacement project.

@jamie - Thanks for the map. I zoomed in and my house shape is far more interesting on their map than in real life.  

If I'm remembering correctly, several years ago, they had lined the water mains/lines (many streets had the tubing along the curb). Anyone know if it already deteriorated? Or not considered sufficient lead protection? Or was a different part of the water line? Or will make our line replacements lowest priority?

sprout said:

@jamie - Thanks for the map. I zoomed in and my house shape is far more interesting on their map than in real life.  

If I'm remembering correctly, several years ago, they had lined the water mains/lines (many streets had the tubing along the curb). Anyone know if it already deteriorated? Or not considered sufficient lead protection? Or was a different part of the water line? Or will make our line replacements lowest priority?

there is a chemical added to the water that bonds with the pipes and keeps a coating between the lead and the water.  

Lots of unknown materials in South Orange. I wonder if that’s because the prior utility didn’t keep records. 

I wonder if pipe replacement is necessary. Does our water have high lead levels?

I saw a link to this map several weeks ago. Our house was linked to non lead water, but unknown internal pipes. Nearby homes were a mosaic of lead,non-lead, unknown.  Today my house still is marked the same but there is a second,  solid black dot inside our house!  And I swear most of nearby houses are now marked unknown. Go figure!

drummerboy said:

I wonder if pipe replacement is necessary. Does our water have high lead levels?

no.  But leaving the lead pipes is just asking for trouble in the future. Look at what happened in Newark.  

mrincredible said:

Lots of unknown materials in South Orange. I wonder if that’s because the prior utility didn’t keep records. 

I don't think NJ American Water covers South Orange.  They only map out their regions.

My next door neighbor received a certified (registered?  something like that) letter informing them that they had lead pipes and I see that their house has the black on the left half of the symbol.  Same for the house on the other side of me.  But my house has the "unknown" symbol and we did not receive a letter.  All the houses on my block show either lead or unknown.  Seems like they would all be the same, wouldn't they?  Interestingly, one block over the parallel street has lots of blue on it.  I wonder if there was some big lead abatement project in the past on that street?

jamie said:

mrincredible said:

Lots of unknown materials in South Orange. I wonder if that’s because the prior utility didn’t keep records. 

I don't think NJ American Water covers South Orange.  They only map out their regions.

it does.  

sac said:

My next door neighbor received a certified (registered?  something like that) letter informing them that they had lead pipes and I see that their house has the black on the left half of the symbol.  Same for the house on the other side of me.  But my house has the "unknown" symbol and we did not receive a letter.  All the houses on my block show either lead or unknown.  Seems like they would all be the same, wouldn't they?  Interestingly, one block over the parallel street has lots of blue on it.  I wonder if there was some big lead abatement project in the past on that street?

if a house was re piped in the last thirty or so years it is probably lead free inside.

DanDietrich said:

jamie said:

mrincredible said:

Lots of unknown materials in South Orange. I wonder if that’s because the prior utility didn’t keep records. 

I don't think NJ American Water covers South Orange.  They only map out their regions.

it does.  

Ah ok, my bad - it's looked like the PSE&G outage map where they only report in their region.  It is odd that South Orange is a different color when you zoom out: