BLOOMINGTON – City of Bloomington Utilities (CBU) is encouraging customers with unknown water service line materials to help identify their service lines as part of the ongoing Lead Service Line Replacement (LSLR) program.
While Bloomington’s drinking water is lead-free, identifying service line materials is an important step in protecting public health. Customers who are able to identify their service lines can help streamline the process, and for those who are unable to do so, CBU will complete the identification as part of the program.
While the drinking water produced and delivered by CBU is lead-free, lead can enter water through customer-owned service lines, household plumbing, and fixtures. Identifying the material of each service line is an important step in protecting public health and meeting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) requirements.
The LCR is designed to limit lead and copper in drinking water by requiring monitoring, corrosion control, and action when levels exceed federal standards. Recent updates to the rule require water systems to create comprehensive inventories of all service line materials and to notify customers about known or potential lead pipes.
Identifying the material of your home’s water service line can be difficult. Pipe materials and plumbing codes have changed over time and much of the line is buried underground. One way to check is to look for exposed pipes where the service line enters your home. Lead pipes look different from copper or plastic, and EPA-approved lead test kits can be used on exposed metal pipes. For step-by-step guidance, residents can use NPR’s interactive tool, “Find Lead Pipes in Your Home.”
For those unable to determine their service line material, CBU crews will use a non-destructive testing tool that safely and quickly determines whether a service line is made of copper, plastic, galvanized steel, or lead—without digging or lengthy service disruptions. Testing typically takes around 30 to 45 minutes to perform and helps CBU accurately update its service line inventory.
Customers can view the status of their service line, request testing for lead, and learn more about Bloomington’s Lead Service Line Replacement efforts by visiting bloomington.in.gov/utilities/inventory or contacting wq@bloomington.in.gov.
