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Town of Putnam WPCA
Lead and Drinking Water
Starting in 2022, the Town of Putnam’s Water Authority is doing an inventory of the water service lines in our community. The inventory will identify the material of your service line, including if your service line is made of lead.
Our recent drinking water test results are below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) lead or copper action levels. For detailed information about the Water Authority’s water system and testing, visit our water and sewer page at www.putnamct.us
What is the Water Authority Doing to Remove Lead
From Drinking Water?
The drinking water from the Water Authority’s treatment plant that travels through the street water mains to your house is lead free. The Water Authority also uses corrosion control treatment, decreasing the amount of lead that can go from the lead or lead-containing service line pipes into the water. The Water Authority tests the water in the system, following state and federal requirements.
Today, lead service lines, lead solder in indoor plumbing, and lead in older plumbing fixtures can cause lead to be in your drinking water.
A service line is a pipe that connects the water main in the street to building plumbing.
In Putnam, the Water Authority is responsible for the service line from the main in the street to the curb stop, typically at the property line or in the sidewalk. The property owner is responsible for the service line from the curb stop to the meter inside the home. Some homes in the Water Authority service area were built before the 1986 Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, which mandated that new plumbing materials be lead-free. So, older homes may have lead or lead-containing service lines.
The USEPA Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) support removing lead from drinking water. The revisions require water utilities to create and submit lead service line inventories by October 16, 2024, and then come up with a plan to replace lead and lead-containing service lines.
What Can You Do to Help?
SERVICE LINE INVENTORY UPDATE
The Water Authority is compiling a service line inventory to meet the LCRR. You can use the map on our website https://www.putnamct.us/departments/water-and-sewer/service-line-inventory to look up your address and learn if we know the material of your service line. We ask that you report your results on the survey listed on the website.
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