Some customers will receive a note on their November 2024 water bill regarding a service line notice. Click here to go directly to the service line notice. Here is a quick summary of why some customers are receiving a service line notice:

Water Service Line Inventory

Introduction

The presence of lead in drinking water poses health risks to the public. Lead is found naturally in lake water and in the environment. It is not in the drinking water that comes from our city wells and water towers. A major way that lead can enter drinking water is through pipes or plumbing that contain this material, including the service lines that connect a customer’s home to the local water distribution system.

In a national effort to minimize the presence of lead in our drinking water, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has required Texas public water systems to develop inventories of all their service lines. This inventory includes the location and material classification of every service line connected to the water distribution system. The goal of the service line inventory is to aid in identifying any possible sources of lead in customers’ drinking water and removing those sources, minimizing the risk of lead exposure. The City of Big Sandy completed its initial service line inventory on October 15, 2024. In the development of this inventory, the city recorded 851 service lines connected to its water distribution system.

Currently, the material classification of the majority of these lines is unknown. This is to be expected with the initial inventory. Nevertheless, as time progresses, the number of unknowns will decrease as the city performs regular maintenance and conducts field investigations. Customers can also help in identifying their service lines through the Customer Self-Identification Survey. The survey is available at City Hall, can be downloaded here or can be completed online. The public can access Big Sandy’s service line inventory on the city’s website by clicking here.

Information on the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR)

The Safe Drinking Water Act is a federal law passed in 1974 that works to protect the quality of drinking water in the United States. Under this act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the authority to set enforceable regulations regarding drinking water contaminants, called the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs). The Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), issued in 1991, is one of these regulations, with the goal of minimizing the presence of lead and copper in drinking water.

On December 16, 2021, the EPA announced final revisions to the NPDWRs for lead and copper, called the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR). These revisions strengthen the regulations that public water systems must follow to improve public health. On October 8, 2024, the EPA announced the final Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI), which strengthens key elements of the Lead and Copper Rule. The EPA continues to update its regulations to address needs that develop over time. State organizations, such as TCEQ, help facilitate the implementation and enforcement of these regulations.

Phew! That was a lot of acronyms. To summarize, these are the regulations that the U.S. government has set in place to make sure that our drinking water is safe. For more information, you can visit the EPA’s website at www.epa.gov or TCEQ’s website at www.tceq.texas.gov.

City of Big Sandy Action Plan

Beginning on October 16, 2024, three provisions of the LCRR went into effect. These provisions require public water systems to develop service line inventories, notify customers with known or possible lead service lines, and notify all customers in occasions where dangerous levels of lead are detected anywhere in the system. Below is the City of Big Sandy’s plan of action for compliance with these requirements.

I. Service Line Inventory:

The City of Big Sandy has inventoried 851 service lines in its water distribution system. For the initial inventory, the material classification of most of these service lines is unknown. However, the number of unknowns is expected to decrease over time as new information is found. The city will continue to maintain this database over time.

II. Customer Notices:

All customers with service lines consisting of lead, galvanized requiring replacement, or unknown materials must be notified according to the LCRR. The City of Big Sandy notifies its customers using notes on their water bills and refers them to the website in order to view the full notice. If you are a Big Sandy water customer and you received a notice on your water bill, you can access the full customer notice here.

III. Water Testing:

Our public water system is required to collect tap samples to measure lead and copper levels in our system. During a scheduled monitoring event, customer volunteers collect water samples which are then sent to a State certified laboratory for analysis. Lead concentrations are measured in parts per billion (ppb). If a sample is found to have more than 15 ppb, this is considered to be a lead Action Level Exceedance, or ALE.

In the event of an ALE, our public water system is required to notify all customers within 24 hours via what is called a Tier 1 Public Notice, as well as notify the State. Public education materials are also required to be provided to customers within 60 days of the end of the sampling period.

The City of Big Sandy routinely tests dozens of points throughout the city for various contaminants. According to the 2023 Water Quality Report, the city meets or exceeds all State and Federal requirements for drinking water. You can read the 2023 Water Quality Report here.

IV. Corrosion Control:

As part of the Lead and Copper Rule, the City of Big Sandy is required to have a corrosion control plan. Reducing the corrosion of pipes helps minimize the levels of plumbing materials that dissolve into drinking water. The Big Sandy Public Works Department performs routine testing on a daily basis and carefully adjusts and monitors the water’s chemistry before it is distributed. All chemicals that the city uses to treat its water are NSF/ANSI 60 certified for drinking water treatment.

V. Replacing Lead Service Lines:

While corrosion control can help minimize the concentrations of plumbing materials in drinking water, the best way to eliminate lead from drinking water is to remove and replace lead pipes and plumbing. If a service line is found to be made out of lead, it needs to be replaced. The replacement of the city-owned portion of the service line is the city’s responsibility, while the replacement of the customer-owned portion of the service line is the customer’s responsibility. If you determine that you have lead pipes or plumbing, please let us know, and we can help you research options for replacing these lines.

VI. Timeline:

1.      Fall 2023 – Fall 2024: City of Big Sandy developed its lead service line inventory in accordance with state requirements. 851 service lines were located and included in the inventory.

2.      July 2024 – August 2024: A preliminary customer survey was released to aid in identifying service line materials. 5% of Big Sandy water customers responded and 1% of the city’s service lines were identified.  

3.      October 15, 2024: The City of Big Sandy submitted the lead service line inventory to TCEQ in accordance with the LCRR.

4.      Fall 2024 – Present: The City will continue to collect survey responses, conduct field investigations, and develop its service line replacement plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ø  What is a water service line?  A water service line is the pipe that connects a water main to a customer’s home or business, providing drinking water to the customer. Most service lines have a water meter that tracks how much water flows through the line, which is a measure of how much water a customer uses.

Ø  Who is responsible for maintaining my service line? In the City of Big Sandy, ownership of each service line is split. The portion of the service line between the water main up to and including the water meter is owned by the city and is the city’s responsibility to maintain. The portion of the service line between the water meter and the house or other facility is owned by the customer and is the customer’s responsibility.

Ø  What are the different material classifications and what do they mean? There are four material classifications that a service line can have: lead, galvanized requiring replacement, non-lead, and lead status unknown. Each classification is described below:

o   Lead: Either the customer-owned portion of the service line is made out of lead, the city-owned portion of the service line is made out of lead, or both. These service lines need to be replaced.

o   Galvanized Requiring Replacement: The customer-owned portion of the service line is galvanized, and the city-owned portion is either lead, has previously been lead, or is unknown. Galvanized pipes have very rough inner surfaces which tend to collect particles, and any galvanized pipes that have been downstream from lead pipes could contain remnant lead particles which could dislodge and dissolve back into the water. In other words, they can easily contaminate the water. Service lines with this classification need to be replaced.

o   Non-lead: Plastic, copper, or other non-lead materials, including galvanized pipes that have not been connected to lead pipes, are considered to be non-lead. Service lines with this classification do not need to be replaced.

o   Lead Status Unknown: Either the customer-owned portion of the service line is made of an unknown material, the city-owned portion is unknown, or both. These service lines need to be identified, as they may or may not contain lead.

Ø  How do I reduce my exposure to lead in drinking water? There are a number of methods that you can use if you are concerned about lead in your drinking water. The methods listed below are steps that you can take to help reduce lead exposure:

o   Check to see what your service lines are made out of. It is also good to check and see if the internal plumbing of your home contains any lead. You can check these yourself, hire a licensed plumber, or check with your landlord.

o   If lead is found, replace any known lead in your service lines or plumbing.

o   Use a water filter certified to remove lead from drinking water. Be sure to regularly maintain your water filter.

o   Run cold water to flush out lead. If a faucet hasn’t been used in more than six hours, let water run from the cold tap for 15-20 seconds before drinking or cooking with it. The longer water sits in the pipe, the more plumbing material it could contain. Flushing tap water is a simple and inexpensive way to protect your health.

o   Use cold water for cooking and preparing baby formula. Lead dissolves more easily into hot water than cold water. Avoid drinking, cooking, or preparing beverages with hot tap water. However, it is still safe to wash dishes and do laundry with hot tap water. Lead will not soak into your dishware or most clothes.

o   Regularly remove and clean your faucet’s aerator.

o   Use alternative sources of water. If there are confirmed or suspected lead-containing materials in your pipes, you may consider using bottled water.

Ø  How do I access the service line inventory? We have made the service line inventory publicly accessible for your convenience. We have a variety of formats available on our website, including an Excel spreadsheet, a Word document, and a PDF document, all of which you can access here. This version of the inventory lists the location, service line identifier, and the material classification of all of the service lines that are connected to our water system. As of October 15, 2024, most of the service lines in the inventory will be classified as unknown.

Ø  Where do I find the Customer Self-Identification Survey? The City of Big Sandy has released an ongoing customer survey for any of its water customers who know what their service lines are made out of and wish to provide that information to the city. The survey is available at City Hall, can be downloaded here or can be completed online. Customers are NOT required to dig up their service lines in order to complete the survey. Any information that customers can provide will be helpful, as it will help reduce the number of unknowns in the inventory. If you want to update or dispute the classification of your service line, please feel free to talk to us, and you can also fill out the customer survey when it is released.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. You can call City Hall at (903) 636 - 4343, or email us at utilityclerk@bigsandytx.gov.