Feb 10, 2022   SOURCE: BusinessWire

New Jersey Water Utilities Start Acting on Groundbreaking Lead Service Line Legislation

New Jersey water utilities have taken the first steps towards identifying and removing the state’s lead-containing service lines, in accordance with New Jersey’s groundbreaking legislation aimed to reduce lead in drinking water to improve public health. As reported by the American Water Works Association New Jersey Section, within the next few weeks, certified letters will be sent to all customers who have a known lead-containing service line, informing them of their potential lead exposure and options for decreasing their exposure. Utilities will be offering to replace lead and galvanized steel service lines by 2031, including the portion owned by the utility and the portion owned by the private property-owner.

The State of New Jersey passed legislation in July 2021 mandating removal of all service lines made of lead or galvanized steel and all lead connectors within 10 years. With this groundbreaking legislation, New Jersey will be the first state in the United States to remove all of its lead and galvanized service lines. The letters are one of two steps outlined in the legislation that will affect New Jersey water customers this year. Utilities are also required to create and update water service line material inventories, made available to the public by January 22, 2022. For utilities serving over 3,300 customers, the inventories are hosted on the water utility’s or municipality’s website. Utilities will also be reaching out to customers with materials listed as “unknown” in the inventory to identify the materials on the utility-owned and privately-owned sides of the service line and update the inventory accordingly.

For more information about AWWA New Jersey Section, visit the website www.njawwa.org.
For more information on New Jersey’s Lead Service Line Legislation, visit this New Jersey.com article about the legislation.
For more information about lead in drinking water, watch this AWWA video “Getting the Lead Out”
For more information on how to mitigate the public health risk of lead service lines, visit the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s webpage on lead in drinking water.
For more information on how to identify if you have a lead or galvanized steel service line, visit NPR’s interactive tool.