The Northern Kentucky Water District, which manages drinking water quality in much of Kenton and Campbell counties, is currently undergoing a federally mandated service line inventory, with special attention paid to lead service pipes in the region.
The inventory is occurring in response to revisions in EPA’s lead and copper pipe rule, which began in 1991 with the aim of reducing the amount of lead and copper in drinking water service lines. This rule was revised under both the Trump and Biden administrations, and the water district is now asking local residents to help update their service area inventory by September. The district’s initial inventory reports are due to federal authorities in October.
“We have to identify both sides of the [service] line and include that in the inventory,” said NKY Water District CEO Lindsey Rechtin at the May meeting of the Kenton County Mayors Group. “Any line that is unknown, we have to consider lead. So we do estimate that about a third of our system–we have 86,000 service lines–we estimate that potentially 30,000 could be made of lead. We need that number to go down.”
Congress banned the use of lead in drinking water systems in 1986. Lead was a popular material for pipe manufacture before that due to its malleability–it was easier for builders to bend and construct lead pipe networks in different directions than other materials. The problem is that lead exposure has been shown to induce a variety of health problems, and the dangers of lead infrastructure in communities such as Flint, Michigan, have grabbed headlines over the past decade.
“Young children and pregnant women are usually particularly vulnerable,” said Sara Sgantas, the water district’s communications and public outreach manager. “But in adults it can cause cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, kidney issues, and so there’s definitely a lot of health risks associated with lead.”
Sgantas was quick to qualify that statement by saying the district itself is in compliance with federal standards for water quality and safety.
The district’s 2023 water quality report states: “When water leaves NKWD’s treatment plants, it does not contain lead. Lead found in drinking water is primarily caused from materials and parts connected to home plumbing and service lines. A service line is the pipe connecting your home to the water main.”
The water district uses various anti-corrosive treatments to prevent hazardous lead materials from seeping into public water systems. Still, Sgantas said, “The best way to ensure that you don’t have any type of lead exposure is to remove those sources of lead.”
Service lines connect pipes on private property to utility company-owned lines and public water mains. They’re often found along property lines near water meters. Property owners are responsible for changing out pipes in their homes, but it’s not always clear what sorts of pipes are present.
How to find out your service line material
Besides lead, service lines can be made of copper, plastic, iron and galvanized steel, and the water district is asking residents to report whatever material their service lines are made of, whether they’re lead or not.
“The customers could have changed out their service lines, so we don’t have records of that,” said NKY Water District Water Quality Manager Mary Carol Wagner. “So that’s why we need the customers to report their side. It doesn’t matter if it’s lead or not. We need to know if it’s copper, plastic, galvanized or [whatever] in this inventory to make it complete.”
A copper pipe. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky. Click the arrows to see other pipe materials. 
A plastic pipe. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky. Click the arrows to see other pipe materials. 
A lead pipe. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky. Click the arrows to see other pipe materials. 
A black iron pipe. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky. Click the arrows to see other pipe materials. 
A galvanized pipe. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky. Click the arrows to see other pipe materials.
Pipe materials have characteristic colors and appearances, but age can sometimes cause discoloration in metal pipes. Thus, unlike plastic pipes, which often sport bright colors like blue and red, it may not be apparent what a metal service line material might be at a glance.
Luckily, there are easy ways to test for lead and other metals. Carol Wagner recommends doing a penny test on your service line to see if it’s lead: Scratch a penny across the pipe’s surface and examine the color that appears. Copper pipes have a distinct orange color. Lead pipes, on the other hand, have a shiny silver color.
You can also use a magnet to test pipe materials. Iron and galvanized pipes are magnetic, so a magnet will stick to them. Lead, copper and plastic pipes are not.
Public water lines are the financial responsibility of the water district, but lines on private property are the responsibility of the owners. Rechtin said that the water district lacks the funds to change out lead pipes in private property.
“Lead service lines, indoor plumbing and fixtures are owned and installed at the expense of the property owner,” Rechtin said. “Customers are encouraged to replace their lead service lines and to let us know so we can review and document the material and possibly coordinate it with public service line replacement.”
Check out the tip sheet below for some quick facts about service lines. Contact information to report to the district is at the bottom of the page.
You can also read the water district’s most recent water quality report to learn more about the science of water infrastructure in the NKY Water District service area.
