ATTENTION WATER CUSTOMERS

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that there are over 9 million water service lines in the United States that are made of galvanized or lead pipe and drinking water systems across the country are required to identify and replace these pipes by 2037.

To comply with these requirements, Watertown Municipal Utilities has reviewed the records of our current water service line customers and determined that many water service lines are galvanized/lead or considered “UNKNOWN”, which means we don’t know if the water service line is galvanized, lead, or copper pipe.

Watertown Municipal Utilities recently sent letters to all customers who’s water service is of UNKNOWN material.  If you received a letter from Watertown Municipal Utilities stating that your service line is UNKNOWN, it is important that you follow the instructions in the letter.

If you know that your water service line is copper or plastic and didn’t receive a letter from Watertown Municipal Utilities, no further action is required on your part.

In January 1978, Watertown Municipal Utilities required all water services to be copper.  If you received a letter and your property was built after this date, please contact our office at (605) 882-6233 or email at [email protected] with your name, address and phone number so we can update our records accordingly.

We want to assure you that our drinking water is free of lead when it leaves our treatment plant, however water can absorb lead if it travels through lead pipes on its way to your faucet.  The majority of South Dakota water pipes are free of lead, but we need to find where lead pipes still exist so they can be removed.  As part of a nationwide initiative, Watertown Municipal Utilities is asking customers that received the letter to check their pipes and report the results.  Knowing where the lead lines are is just as important as knowing where they are not, therefore we need to verify the material of your water service line.

Below is a video link explaining a simple method to test your water service line to determine if its galvanized, lead or copper.  Please follow the videos instructions.

Here are example images of various water service line types (Click to enlarge)

When you are determining the material composition of your service line, please take a close-up picture of the magnet on the pipe and/or scraped area and email it to [email protected] with your name, address and phone number.

If you cannot locate your service line or are unsure of your results, contact our office at (605) 882-6233 and set up an appointment to have one of our employees inspect and verify your water service at your property.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us comply with the EPA requirement.  It is greatly appreciated.  If you have any questions, please call our office at 605-882-6233.