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LAKELAND, FL (October 15, 2024) - The City of Lakeland has launched a new program to identify any lead or galvanized drinking water service lines that may be in the Lakeland water distribution system. The Pipe Inventory Program is in response to Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2021. This requires all utilities to develop a service line material inventory and, if found, address locations that may have elevated levels of lead. The newly implemented revisions help communities know the extent of lead pipe impacts to water systems. It also provides states with needed information for reporting to regulatory agencies. The EPA requires water providers to establish an inventory of service line materials. “We are working to identify unknown service lines, but also want the community to know that lead levels in Lakeland are not a public health concern,” said the City’s Water Compliance Manager, Tania McMillan. “We created our program to actively address the EPA requirements and are taking all the necessary steps to ensure that we have reliable water infrastructure for the future.” A service line is the underground pipe that connects a home to the public water main. It can typically be seen where it enters the home through an outdoor hose bib connection. In Lakeland, water quality consistently exceeds Federal and State standards and lead levels are well below regulatory requirements. The service line inventory will be available on the Water Department’s webpage: www.lakelandgov.net/water. The site also has helpful information on rates, water quality, restrictions, conservation, treatment and services.
LAKELAND, FL (October 15, 2024) - The City of Lakeland has launched a new program to identify any lead or galvanized drinking water service lines that may be in the Lakeland water distribution system. The Pipe Inventory Program is in response to Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2021. This requires all utilities to develop a service line material inventory and, if found, address locations that may have elevated levels of lead.
The newly implemented revisions help communities know the extent of lead pipe impacts to water systems. It also provides states with needed information for reporting to regulatory agencies. The EPA requires water providers to establish an inventory of service line materials.
“We are working to identify unknown service lines, but also want the community to know that lead levels in Lakeland are not a public health concern,” said the City’s Water Compliance Manager, Tania McMillan. “We created our program to actively address the EPA requirements and are taking all the necessary steps to ensure that we have reliable water infrastructure for the future.”
A service line is the underground pipe that connects a home to the public water main. It can typically be seen where it enters the home through an outdoor hose bib connection. In Lakeland, water quality consistently exceeds Federal and State standards and lead levels are well below regulatory requirements.
The service line inventory will be available on the Water Department’s webpage: www.lakelandgov.net/water. The site also has helpful information on rates, water quality, restrictions, conservation, treatment and services.