Lead & Copper

In 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ) released updated standards called the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR). The updated rule is designed to protect communities from the risks of lead exposure from drinking water flowing through lead-based pipes.

The primary goal of the Lead and Copper Rule is to ensure that drinking water in communities across the United States remains safe and free from contaminants. The rule stipulates that water utilities must work to eliminate any existing lead water lines in their distribution systems. The City of Lenoir will work diligently to meet the new requirements and guidelines in the LCRR.

Does Cleveland have lead service lines?

No. As far as Town of Cleveland staff is aware, the Town water system does not have lead service lines. Staff do not have any records or knowledge of any known lead service lines in the Town’s water distribution system.

Town staff routinely samples for lead as required by the EPA, and results have met state and federal safe drinking water levels for lead. The Annual Drinking Water Quality Report has more information on the latest water quality sampling. Click the following link to read the Town’s latest water quality report, Consumer Confidence Report.

What is a Service Line?

A service line is the piping that runs from the water main to the building. In Cleveland, the Town owns the part of the service line from the water main to the water meter or curb stop. The customer owns the line from the water meter or curb stop to the building. See the diagram below.

How Can I Determine My Service Line Material?

You can help identify your service line by completing the Self-Assessment survey. Click the following link to take the survey, LCRR Customer Self-Assessment Survey. To learn how to ID your service line, visit www.epa.gov/protectyourtap.

The Town of Cleveland will continue to identify service lines in the system. We will notify you if we find that your service line is lead or galvanized piping requiring replacement. We will also let you know if any financing opportunities are available to replace your service line.

If you have questions about the self-assessment, survey, or your service line material, contact Jody Bare via email at jbare@townofclevelandnc.gov.

Service Line Inventory

The LCRR requires water systems staff to develop a Service Line Inventory (SLI). The SLI must identify the location and material of all service lines in the water system that connect to buildings. The Town must also make that information available to the public. The SLI must classify the material for customer-owned and system-owned service lines.

The SLI will classify service lines in one of four ways:

Lead
Galvanized Requiring Replacement (GRR)
Non-Lead
Unknown

A GRR service line is a galvanized pipe that has the potential for mineral deposits, such as lead, to accumulate within the piping over time.

An initial SLI is due to NC DEQ by October 16, 2024.

Current Service Line Inventory

Click on the map link to view and download Cleveland’s current service line inventory.

How will Cleveland develop the Service Line Inventory?

The Town will use several methods to identify service line material including:

Existing records and data
Field inspections
Customer Self-assessment and Survey

Existing Records and Data: Staff can use property construction dates from Rowan County to determine the age of service lines. Buildings constructed after 1988 are highly unlikely to have lead service lines. That’s because 1988 was the effective date of the 1986 amendment to the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act. The act prohibited the use of lead for drinking water pipe, solder, and flux.

Field Inspections: Staff or contractors will conduct inspections at properties across Cleveland’s water system to verify service line material and minimize the quantity of Unknown service lines. The Town will inspect service lines by:

Potholing
Meter Box Inspections

Potholing involves excavations on either side of a meter box (curb stop) to uncover service lines and determine service line material. Potholing excavations will be located at least 18 inches from the meter box (curb stop) and will be two feet wide.

Meter Box Inspections involve looking inside the property’s meter box to determine service line material. Crews may need to clear vegetation debris to locate, uncover, and visually inspect the meter box contents.

For Potholing and Meter Box Inspections, property owners do not need to be home. Crews do not need to interact with property owners or enter homes.

Customer Self-Assessment Survey

Customers can contribute to the SLI and report their customer-owned service line material by performing a self-assessment and filling out an online form.

Click the following link to fill out the Customer Self-Assessment Survey, LCRR Customer Self-Assessment Survey. EPA provides guidance on identifying service line material.

If you have questions about the self-assessment, survey, or your service line material, contact Jody Bare via email at jbare@townofclevelandnc.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

The following are some questions customers may have after learning about the LCRR.

Q: Does Cleveland have lead service lines?
A: No. As far as Town of Cleveland staff is aware, the Town water system does not have lead service lines. Staff do not have any records or knowledge of any known lead service lines in the Town’s water distribution system. Town staff routinely samples for lead as required by the EPA, and results have met state and federal safe drinking water levels for lead.

Q: What happens if a lead service line is found during field inspections?
A: Cleveland does not expect that there will be lead service lines. However, Cleveland will follow EPA and NC DEQ LCRR guidance on addressing lead service lines if found.

Q: If lead pipe material is found, does that mean there is lead in the customer’s water?
A: No. It is possible to receive safe drinking water through a lead service line. The Town of Cleveland uses a corrosion inhibitor that reduces the corrosion of metal pipes and decreases potential lead levels in treated drinking water. The corrosion inhibitor as a protective water treatment measure. Town staff is not aware of any lead service lines.

Q: Will the public be notified of the SLI results?
A: The SLI will be made available to the public when the SLI is submitted to NC DEQ on October 16, 2024. For customers with Lead, GRR, or Unknown service line material, the Town will send a notification letter to the property address. Cleveland will follow EPA and NC DEQ LCRR guidance on communicating SLI results to the public.

For more information or to ask more questions, contact Public Works Director Jody Bare via email at jbare@townofclevelandnc.gov.