Local officials do not anticipate lead lines in Bartlesville
The City of Bartlesville recently issued notifications to water customers of the EPA Lead and Copper Rule, which ultimately aims to replace lead and galvanized water service lines across the U.S. To comply with the rule, all water providers in the U.S. are required to inventory its service lines, both on the customer and public sides of the meter.
If a lead or galvanized service line is discovered on either the public or customer portion of the water service line, the City must notify the property owner of this finding and any available financing programs to replace this service line. (None have been identified at this time.) If the water service line material on either the City’s or customer side of the meter cannot be confirmed, the City must notify the property owner that the service line material is unknown but may be lead.
Of the 16,412 service line connections in Bartlesville, 2,338 were confirmed to be non-lead or galvanized, one was confirmed as galvanized requiring replacement on the customer’s side of the meter, and 14,073 could not be determined from a record review, which is classified as unknown.
“We do not anticipate there being any lead service lines, but we appreciate any insight water customers can provide us about their service line material,” said Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen. “There was a fairly big water line replacement program in the late 1980s in the older areas of town, so I suspect that almost everybody has a copper service line, but we have run across the occasional galvanized service line. We’re asking that everyone who receives this notification to please complete the questionnaire and return it to us.”
In accordance with the EPA’s rule, the City will provide a notification to the properties that have either a galvanized or unknown service line Bartlesville residents should receive that notification this month. The results will also be published online through the City’s GIS website, https://arcgissrv.cityofbartlesville.org/arcgis/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=a92f779249244786800903b49c90c275
Utility customers should complete the questionnaire included in the notification and return it so the requirements of the LCR are met.
Return surveys to City of Bartlesville, ATTN: Water Dept., 401 S. Johnstone Ave., Bartlesville, OK 74003, or in person at the Utility Billing Office located on the first floor of City Hall, 401 S. Johnstone Ave.
For more information, contact the Water Utilities Department at 918.338.4116. To access the questionnaire, see www.cityofbartlesville.org or scan the QR code.