A service line is the piping that connects your household or building plumbing to the water main in the street. Ownership for residential service lines is split between Pittsburgh Water and the property owner. Pittsburgh Water owns the section of the service line from the water main to the curb stop, while the section from the curb stop to inside the structure is owned by the property owner. Commercial service lines are entirely owned by the property owner. 

A lead result means that, based on the data available to us, our records show your service line is made of lead. 

While we use orthophosphate as a corrosion control treatment to keep lead levels at record lows, there is no safe level of lead. We recommend you take precautions like flushing your pipes before consuming water and request a free lead test kit.

When we come to replace your lead line in the coming years, we will perform an inspection in your basement and, if needed, an excavation in the sidewalk to confirm this result. 

Galvanized iron can absorb lead particulate and release it into your water. For this reason, we treat galvanized iron like lead and remove it when found. 

While we use orthophosphate as a corrosion control treatment to keep lead levels at record lows, there is no safe level of lead. We recommend you take precautions like flushing your pipes before consuming water and request a free lead test kit.

When we come to replace your line in the coming years, we will perform an inspection in your basement and, if needed, an excavation in the sidewalk to confirm this result. 

An unknown result means that we do not have adequate data at your property to determine the material of the service line. Since some homes in Pittsburgh are 100+ years old, our original records for a home can be outdated, missing, or hard to read. 

A service line of unknown material could be made of lead, so we recommend you take precautions like flushing your pipes before consuming water, requesting a free lead test kit, and inspecting your service line where it enters the basement to see if you can identify a lead pipe. For more information on how to do this, visit our brief survey to identify the material of private service lines.

Over the next few years, we will fully update our inventory and replace any remaining lead service lines in the system, where found. 

You are not required to do anything based on the results of this letter. This letter simply aims to keep our customers informed about their service line material. 

Over the next few years, we will work to remove all residential lead lines in our system and investigate locations with an "unknown" result to give you better information about your service line. This will primarily be done through construction projects like our Lead Service Line Replacement Program and water main replacements. If you have a lead line, we will replace it at no cost to you. 

If you want to replace your lead service line prior to a PWSA project entering your neighborhood, please visit www.lead.pgh2o.com/leadreimbursement/ for more information. Depending on your income, you may be eligible to have your lead water service line replaced at no cost.

If you believe our record is incorrect or out of date, please fill out our brief survey. 

• Run your water to flush out lead. If the water hasn’t been used for several hours, run the water for 15-30 seconds to flush lead from interior plumbing or run the water until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature before using your water for cooking or drinking. Use only cold water for cooking and drinking.
• Do NOT use water from the hot water tap to make baby formula.
• Do NOT boil water to remove lead. Boiling water will not reduce lead.
• Look for alternative sources or treatment of water, such as the use of a pitcher filter that is certified to remove lead.  Replace the cartridges on a routine frequency or use bottled water.
• Identify and replace plumbing fixtures containing lead. Brass faucets, fittings and valves, including those advertised as “lead free” installed prior to 2014 may contribute lead to drinking water because the law allowed fixtured with up to 8% lead to be labeled as lead free.
• Regularly clean your aerators/screens on plumbing fixtures. Sediment, debris and lead particles can collect in your aerator. If lead particles are caught in the aerator, lead can get into your water.