Keeping water quality safe

As part of the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions, the City is required to identify and categorize all of the service lines, regardless of ownership. The City is currently developing a complete service line inventory with both customer (private) and utility owned (public) portions.

Service line inventories are the foundation from which water systems can take action on emerging issues. This inventory will be made available to the public and used as the basis for Service Line Replacement efforts. Over time, systems will continue to refine the inventory by verifying information in the field and identifying the material of unknown lines.

Yes. Phoenix water is clean, high quality, and safe to drink. Public health, economic development, and quality of life here in our desert city are contingent upon a reliable and safe tap water supply. More than five million tests and measurements are conducted each year to ensure high quality tap water in Phoenix. Our water is tested for more than 100 substances and is monitored throughout the year to ensure that it meets the rigorous standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), and the Maricopa County Environmental Services Department.

The most common source of lead in drinking water is from household plumbing including from certain brass fixtures, copper piping joined with lead-based solder, and lead service lines. When water stands for several hours in lead pipes or plumbing fixtures containing lead, the lead may dissolve into the water due to the corrosive nature of water. Lead particles can attach to the surface of galvanized material like galvanized steel and iron. Read the EPA's guidance on Lead in Drinking Water to learn more.

City, State, and Federal regulations, such as the Lead and Copper Rule protect public health by minimizing lead and copper levels in drinking water, primarily by reducing water corrosivity.

There is no known safe level of lead in a human body.

Learn about lead and the health effects of exposure to lead in drinking water on the EPA's website.

A service line is the pipe that carries water from the City's water main through a water meter and then to a property.

Click on image to enlarge.

Phoenix has been supplying water to customers for more than 100 years. While records indicate that lead service lines did exist in Phoenix's water service territory, it was standard protocol to remove lead service lines any time they were encountered or discovered by Phoenix Water Services employees. The last documented lead service line replacements took place in the early 1990s. If the city were to come across any lead service lines during maintenance and repairs, our protocol still stands to replace them.

Yes. Lead particles can attach to the surface of galvanized pipes. Over time, particles can enter your drinking water causing elevated lead levels. The original method of distributing water throughout a building was by installing galvanized water lines. These remained popular until approximately the early 1960s. The biggest problem with these water lines is that they had the tendency to rust from within, eventually restricting water pressure and deteriorating at the joints. Galvanized pipes have the tendency to accumulate lead deposits over time. As galvanized pipes corrode from within and form rust, lead that has accumulated in the interior walls of those rusty pipes can be released into the water.

In 1991, EPA published a regulation to control lead and copper in drinking water. This regulation is known as the Lead and Copper Rule (also referred to as the LCR). The rule requires water systems to monitor the lead and copper levels at the tap inside customer homes and conduct additional actions if high levels of lead or copper are found in more than 10 percent of homes tested. The City of Phoenix completed its first round of standard monitoring in 1992. Since 1991 the LCR has undergone various revisions, the most recent in December 2021.

Yes. The current Lead and Copper Rule Revisions became law in December 2021. The City continues to follow the LCR requirements by:

• Maintaining an effective corrosion control program to minimize pipe corrosion.
• Soliciting customers to participate in the sampling at their taps.

You received a letter because your property qualifies to be in the City's sampling pool for monitoring for lead and copper in drinking water. The City is required to sample and analyze a certain number of samples in order to calculate our 90th percentile which is used to determine if the City is in compliance with the lead trigger and action levels. Your participation is critical to our success. Watch this sampling instruction video.

The first step is to locate the water meter box in the front yard of the property, close to the street near the curb or sidewalk. The water meter box contains the water meter that supplies water to a building. Be careful not to damage your water meter after locating your pipe material.

This photograph shows the location of the city shutoff valve, water meter, and the beginning of the customer-side (private) service line.

Then, locate the spigot with a shutoff valve on an external wall of the building. This is the point that water enters the building.

This photograph shows the customer-side spigot and customer-side shutoff valve.

Next, identify your service line material. In the pictures below you will find different methods used to verify material type.

Lead Pipe

If the scraped area is shiny and silver, the line is likely lead. A magnet will not stick to a lead pipe.

Copper Pipe

If the scraped area is copper colored, like a penny, the line is likely copper. A magnet will not stick to a copper pipe.

Galvanized Steel Pipe

If the scraped area is dull gray, the line is likely galvanized. A magnet will stick to a galvanized pipe.

• Lead service lines and lead goosenecks were used occasionally until 1987. It is challenging to know the location of every lead service line and lead gooseneck because of poor record keeping.
• Galvanized service lines became the most common material between 1940's and 1960's. Galvanized pipe was an alternative to lead pipe for water service lines.
• Copper service lines have been used since the 1940's but became popular in the mid 1960's. Copper service lines are the most common type of piping used today because of their longevity, durability, and corrosion resistance.

The City has been actively assessing the material type of service lines within the water system. For questions about this process, contact the City’s Customer Service Line at (602) 262-6251 and say “Pipes”.

Replacing a water service line costs anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 or more. Factors that can contribute to the total cost include:

• The distance from the water meter to the entry point of the building.
• The type of landscaping disturbed during a replacement.
• The type of material used in the replacement.

The City of Phoenix will be replacing galvanized public service lines from the water main to the water meter. The City is currently evaluating funding options for customers to replace their galvanized private service lines.