The City of Topeka is joining national efforts to better protect communities from exposure to lead in drinking water.
The City of Topeka’s Utilities Department will be conducting surveys to complete an inventory identifying the type of materials that make up all water service lines, including public and private lines. The city expects to roll out surveys in February of 2024.
Compiling data into a comprehensive service line inventory is a requirement created for all U.S. water utilities as part of the Lead and Copper Rule Revision (LCRR) and Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Utilities Director Sylvia Davis will present more information to the Governing Body at the February 6, 2024 Topeka City Council Meeting. Listen in person or watch live on Cox Local Channel 4, Facebook or the City4 Livestream. Community members are encouraged to tune in to learn more about the city’s survey plans.
About the LCRI
The EPA first established the Lead and Copper Rule in 1991 to reduce exposure to lead and copper in water. These contaminants primarily enter drinking water through corrosion of service lines, fixtures, or plumbing. EPA published Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) on January 15, 2021 and proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) in 2023 to strengthen key elements of the LCRR.
The proposed rule includes many new requirements for all water utilities, including expanding consumer awareness of lead, developing service line inventories, communicating about public health, and testing at schools and child-care facilities.
Under the proposed LCRI, water utilities must identify and make public whether they have lead service lines or not by October 16, 2024.
Water safety
The city publishes its Water Quality Report each year, which includes details about where our water comes from, what it contains and how it compares to EPA and state standards. While the city’s water mains do not contain lead, some connecting parts might. There are known lead service lines on both the city side and the private side. The City of Topeka’s water treatment system complies with the EPA’s drinking water regulations and the Safe Water Drinking Act.
As part of the LCRI proposals, the city may have to replace lead service lines over the course of the next several years. But before that could happen, the city must identify those lines.
Next steps
The next step in this process is to notify homeowners whose service line material is unknown. The City of Topeka plans to mail surveys in February to those homeowners along with instructions on how to determine their type of service line and how to report that information to the city.
In addition to the mailed survey, the city will be in contact with schools and child care providers to assist in identifying their service lines and to conduct water testing.
The information will be compiled, provided to the EPA and made publicly available. The EPA has not yet indicated when this must occur.
Resources
The City of Topeka will continue to update topeka.org/utilities with information regarding these efforts. Learn more about lead in drinking water and how to limit your exposure at, https://www.epa.gov/…/basic-information-about-lead… and in this short video, https://youtu.be/PqFHrae92OM?si=txpIH9q8MT4c63s3.