LEad Service Line Replacement

DRINKING WATER SERVICE LINE INVENTORY NOTIFICATION

You have come to this page because you recently received a notification from Marion Utilities that a portion of, or the entire water line (called a service line) that connects your home, building or other structure to the water main contains or is presumed to contain lead.

While it is important to know that Marion Utilities continues to meet all State and Federal lead requirements for drinking water, we are still working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to reduce all of the lead service lines within our community.

Marion Utilities is focused on protecting the health of every household in our community. This notice contains important information about your drinking water. Please share this information with anyone who drinks and/or cooks using water at this property. In addition to people directly served at this property, this can include people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, businesses, as well as parents served by childcare at this property.

What is Marion Utilities doing to reduce lead exposure and lead service lines in our community?

• Water Quality. Marion Utilities regularly tests your drinking water for a wide range of physical, microbiological, and chemical contaminants.  You can learn more about these on our Water Quality page.  It’s one of our key responsibilities to ensure your water is safe.  We publish these results in community “Water Quality Reports”.
• Lead-free plumbing regulations. Marion Utilities has not used lead in our drinking water distribution system since 1985, if not before.  Since 1991, new homes served by public water suppliers had to be certified lead-free before connecting to the system.  Some mortgage programs may also check for lead-free plumbing. If your home plumbing system is made of copper pipe and installed before January 1991, it is likely that lead solder was used.
• Lead Service Line inventory. Marion Utilities developed a Lead Service Line Inventory in 2024 to identify which service lines will need to be replaced.  This inventory is ongoing and regularly updated.  The inventory results can be viewed at this IDEM/120Water link:  https://idem.120water-ptd.com/  .
• Why replace service lines?  Public health principles begin with prevention.  Removal of lead service lines provides an opportunity to significantly reduce the risk of exposure to lead in drinking water.
• Prioritizing lead service line replacement. Each year, we invest in upgrading our water infrastructure to support our continued delivery of safe and reliable water service to you.  When it comes to lead service line replacements, we prioritize these replacements in conjunction with main replacement, rehabilitation, and relocation projects using our priority project list.
• Replacement project expectations.  When a lead service line replacement project is scheduled for your area, you will be given specific project information.  Generally, when replacing the lead service line in public space, crews will shut the water off to your home for approximately 4 – 6 hours.  Crews will excavate holes approximately 4’ x 6’ in the street, in the tree space (area between the sidewalk and the curb), and in the yard at the property line. Most of the work is completed within one day.  Contractors will restore areas behind the curb within a few weeks after pipe replacement, assuming no weather delays.  For roadway repairs, the contractor will repair excavations made in the street within a few days.

What are the health effects of exposure to lead in the drinking water?

Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavior problems or exacerbate existing learning and behavior problems. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or during pregnancy can have increased risk of these adverse health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney, or nervous system problems.

More questions?  Marion Utilities has expert staff to answer questions about public infrastructure, but we are limited in our ability to comment on health concerns and other potential source of lead exposure.  Please reach out to the Grant County Health Department for questions regarding the health impacts of lead, having children tested for blood lead levels, and for a fuller understanding of more common sources of exposure in our area.

How can I help to reduce lead exposure in drinking water?

Below are recommended actions that you may take, separately or in combination, if you are concerned about lead in your drinking water. The list also includes where you may find more information and is not intended to be a complete list or to imply that all actions equally reduce lead in drinking water.

• Use a filter. Using a filter can reduce lead in drinking water. If you use a filter, it should be certified to remove lead. Read any directions provided with the filter to learn how to properly install, maintain, and use your cartridge and when to replace it. Using the cartridge after it has expired can make it less effective at removing lead. Do not run hot water through the filter. For more information on facts and advice on home water filtration systems, visit EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/water-research/consumer-tool-identifying-point-use-and-pitcher-filters-certified-reduce-lead.
• Clean your aerator. Regularly remove and clean your faucet’s screen (also known as an aerator). Sediment, debris, and lead particles can collect in your aerator. If lead particles are caught in the aerator, lead can get into your water.
• Use cold water. Do not use hot water from the tap for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula as lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Boiling water does not remove lead from water.
• Run your water. The more time water has been sitting in pipes providing water to your home, the more lead it may contain. Before drinking, flush your home’s pipes by running the tap, taking a shower, doing laundry, or doing a load of dishes. The amount of time to run the water will depend on whether your home has a lead service line or not, as well as the length and diameter of the service line and the amount of plumbing in your home. You may contact us at 765-664-2391 or communications@marionutilities.com for recommendations about flushing times.
• Learn about construction in your neighborhood. Contact us at 765-664-2391 or communications@marionutilities.com to find out about any construction or maintenance work that could disturb your service line. Construction may cause more lead to be released from a lead service line if present.
• Have your water tested. Contact us at 765-664-2391 or communications@marionutilities.com to have your water tested and to learn more about the lead levels in your drinking water. We can assist with the sampling, but there is a customer cost for the analysis.  Alternatively, you may contact a certified laboratory to have your water tested for lead. You can find out more about testing from the County Health Department (https://www.in.gov/health/leadsafe/). Note: a water sample may not adequately capture or represent all sources of lead that may be present. For information on sources of lead that include service lines and interior plumbing, please visit https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water#getinto.
• Verify service line materials. Contact us at 765-664-2391 or communications@marionutilities.com or a licensed plumber to determine if your service line is made from lead or other materials or go to Protect Your Tap: A quick check for lead, EPA’s on-line step by step guide to learn how to find lead pipes in your home. If you are able to verify your service line material, please complete this survey so that Marion Utilities can update our Lead Service Line inventory.

What if I want to replace my service line?

If you are planning to replace the portion of the service line that you own, contact us at 765-664-2391 or communications@marionutilities.com .  Also contact us for more information about potential financing solutions to assist property owners with the replacement of lead service lines. When a property owner notifies Marion Utilities that they are replacing their portion of the lease service line, it allows us to coordinate the replacement of our portion of the service line.

For more information on reducing lead exposure from your drinking water and the health effects of lead, visit EPA’s website at http://www.epa.gov/lead.