SERVICE LINE INVENTORY LETTER “UNKNOWN MATERIAL” – ENGLISH

As required by U.S. EPA, the City of Petaluma has identified that your water service connection is considered an unknown service line material that needs to be inspected.

The City of Petaluma recently conducted an inventory of all water service lines, which is the pipe that connects your home to the water main. The purpose of the inventory is to identify the material of these service lines and fittings, including the customer-owned side of the water service line.

The pipe that connects your home to the water main was identified as an unknown material. Lead service lines or certain galvanized pipe can potentially place you at risk for exposure to lead. Therefore, your service line material will need to be identified by the City of Petaluma to ensure it doesn’t contain material that should be replaced.

The City of Petaluma has been testing our pipes for lead since 1992 and we routinely monitor for lead in the distribution system. The most recent water sample results received on September 6 2023, showed that the 90th percentile of all lead levels measured in the distribution system was 0.0024 mg/L, which is below the action level of 0.015 mg/L for lead.

The EPA requires that the concentration of lead must be less than or equal to the action level in at least 90% of the water samples collected. The “action level” is the level at which additional investigation into the service line is required. To date, we have not identified any water service lines that require action.

IS MY WATER AFFECTED?

Please keep in mind that:

• This is not an emergency.
• Your water is safe to drink and meets federal and state safe drinking water standards.
• You do not need to use an alternative water supply (e.g., bottled water).

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The City of Petaluma is currently working with a contractor, PMI Inc. to inspect and identify all water services installed prior to the federal ban on lead pipes in 1986. We are currently working to review and identify the material of each of the service lines. We anticipate identifying all service lines by March 31, 2025. A map showing up- to-date identification of all water services is located here: www.cityofpetaluma.org/servicelineinventory

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

You do not need to schedule an inspection, it will happen automatically. You have the following options:

1. WAIT - You can wait for the City of Petaluma to inspect your line. Once we know your status we will notify you of our findings. If you have a preferred contact method you would like to share with us, please do so by calling (707) 778-4546 (select option 3) or emailing [email protected].
2. SELF-IDENTIFY - You can help your public water system identify your service line material in the following ways:
3. • EPA has developed an online step-by-step guide to help people identify lead pipes in their homes called Protect Your Tap: A Quick Check for Lead. (www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/protect-your-tap-quick-check-lead)
   • Other organizations have also provided tools to identify service line material, such as the LSLR Collaborative (www.lslr-collaborative.org/identifying-service-line-material.html)

Whichever option you choose, the City of Petaluma will contact you to ensure your line has been properly identified. We will contact you if we find your pipes need additional attention.

Please contact us immediately if you feel that we have incorrectly categorized the service line material.

Contact the City of Petaluma at (707) 778-4546 (option 3) or email [email protected] to inform us if your service line has been incorrectly categorized, to share any information about your service line, or to inform us of your plans to alter or replace your service line.

LEAD RELATED HEALTH INFORMATION

• 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 cause 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.
• If you have concerns about your water quality, the State Water Board’s Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program has a map of laboratories that can test your water at the consumer’s expense, which can be found at: www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/labs
• If you still have health concerns from potential lead exposure in your drinking water, there are point-of-use (POU) devices that can be used on your drinking water taps to provide an additional barrier of protection. A list of these residential treatment devices can be found at: www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/device/watertreatmentdevices.html
• If you have other health issues concerning the consumption of this water, you may wish to consult your health care provider.

Visit cityofpetaluma.org/servicelineinventory to learn about ways to reduce lead in your drinking water.

CONTACT THE CITY OF PETALUMA

To verify the material of an unknown service line and for information on financial programs to assist with service line replacements, please contact (707) 778-4546 (option 3) or email [email protected] and/or visit www.cityofpetaluma.org/servicelineinventory.

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this public notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

This notice is being sent to you by The City of Petaluma.
State Water System Number: 49100006.
Date distributed: November 12, 2024.