WATER SAFETY: Seattle Public Utilities says test results show NO lead problems, offers online tool for checking what your service line’s made of

| Safety | Utilities | West Seattle news

(Screengrab from SPU mapping tool you can use to figure out what kind of “service line” goes to your residence)

3:55 PM: Just out of the WSB inbox:

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) said today that two days of extensive testing in five Seattle homes confirms the city’s water continues to be safe to drink.

The utility started testing after learning last week that Tacoma Public Utilities had detected high levels of lead in four water samples taken from galvanized steel service lines.

In response to that information, SPU asked Seattle residents to run their water before using it if the water had not been run for a while. SPU then initiated its own tests to see if the problems reported in Tacoma exist here.

The Seattle test results announced today are well below the action level for lead of 15 parts per billion (ppb). The highest level recorded in Seattle’s tests was 1.95 ppb.

Seattle’s water quality experts worked with five homeowners, distributed throughout the city, with galvanized-steel service lines. They sampled water from the main to the tap, after allowing the water to sit overnight in the pipes.

“This sampling protocol was much more extensive than the standard federal test, and should give customers an added sense of confidence in their water,” said SPU Drinking Water Quality Manager Wylie Harper.

“Seattle Public Utilities is in compliance with U.S. Department of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations,” said Derek Pell of the Washington State Department of Health’s (DOH) Office of Drinking Water. Pell added Seattle’s testing protocol is supported by DOH.

If customers are interested in learning what kind of material — copper, plastic or galvanized steel — the service line that supplies their homes with drinking water is made of, they can use a new online Web tool.

You can navigate to the Web tool by clicking here.

SPU said the test results released today mean Seattle water customers can return to using water as they did before Thursday’s announcement. (EPA, DOH and SPU recommend running the water before drinking.)

SPU’s source water, supplied to 1.3 million people in the region, comes from protected mountain watersheds in the Cascades Mountains and is considered to be some of the best water in the nation.

Seattle regularly tests its water for lead and other contaminants, and has met all requirements of the federal Lead and Copper Rule since 2003.

The utility’s state-of-the-art water quality laboratory analyzes over 20,000 microbiological samples each year — more than 50 a day taken throughout the system — and conducts chemical and physical monitoring daily, 365 days per year.

SPU continues to work with key stakeholders and regulators including DOH, Seattle-King County Public Health, EPA and city departments.

A phone line has been set up for customers with questions: 206-684-5800. Customers can call today until 7 p.m., and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

9:01 PM UPDATE: As discovered and discussed by commenters, there are some spots on the map where you won’t find the water-line information. We asked SPU, whose Andy Ryan replied: “We know there are some ‘blanks’ in the database. Records were not always well kept or complete and some parts of the city were annexed. If your readers have questions — such as, ‘I can’t find information for my address’ — please ask them to call 684-5800, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.”

chemist April 24, 2016 (4:39 pm)

Hrm, today I learned that despite the 1″ copper service line coming up from the ground at the PRV and shutoff, it becomes a 3/4″ copper line somewhere before it hits the feeder line.

WSB April 24, 2016 (4:46 pm)

Copper seems to be predominant, although there are sectors with something else – click around the east side of Nucor and you’ll see various spots where the service line is described as “ductile iron” and several inches wide as opposed to be 3/4 or 1″ copper I saw doing a random clickaround (our house included). Interesting to see the installation dates, too. Ours is listed as 1938, though the house was built in 1940-1941, so apparently infrastructure was installed in anticipation of selling off the lots to prospective homebuilders …
- chemist April 24, 2016 (5:01 pm)
  
  Looks like there’s still some gaps in the tool though. I wondered about older buildings like the Ventana HQ and then noticed that the tool indicates no water hookups on California north of Morgan Junction.
  - AMD April 24, 2016 (6:33 pm)
    
    I wondered about the gaps, too. 8th Ave SW from Roxbury to Henderson seems to be missing as well.
    - WSB April 24, 2016 (6:42 pm)
      
      I have a question out to SPU since C’s first comment on this. Don’t realistically know how soon I’ll get an answer.
  - MNW April 24, 2016 (7:14 pm)
    
    My house’s service line is missing from the map too. Fauntleroy near Morgan Junction.
    - Marlene April 24, 2016 (7:39 pm)
      
      Our block is missing too (east side of 35th Ave SW between Manning and Spokane). I called the SPU phone line before the 7 p.m. cutoff, and the service rep told me that our service is copper. The rep reported the problem with the missing info.

Gina April 24, 2016 (5:07 pm)

New Year’s Eve 1937, someone was putting in a copper pipe in the Admiral district. Interesting to see that the 1903 house on the block didn’t have a water hookup until 1907.

chemist April 24, 2016 (6:13 pm)

That may be more of a function of West Seattle not being annexed until 1907. Maybe the old township of West Seattle had some records.

http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=3428 (see the ending paragraph of “a town is born”
JeffK April 24, 2016 (6:17 pm)

Our home is listed as December 31, 1953. I noticed many with the last day of the year. I think they just had ‘1953’ listed but they had fields for day/month so they filled in the last day of the year as the newest the line could have been.
miws April 24, 2016 (6:52 pm)

They were putting it in on New Year’s Eve in 1956, to the lot my 1957 built apartment building occupies in Highland Park/South Delridge.

Mike

Toni Reinek April 24, 2016 (5:12 pm)

Once again thank you for the fantastic service, WSB. I have known that everything in my house is copper except for one 36″ galvanized pipe coming up to the kitchen sink, but had started to wonder what the feed is from the street–that is, would I need to worry about lead before the water entered the house. Now I know. Thanks again!

John April 24, 2016 (8:02 pm)

Toni Reinek,

“ had started to wonder what the feed is from the street–that is, would I need to worry about lead before the water entered the house. Now I know.”

WSB’s excellent coverage notwithstanding, I believe you may misunderstand where the city’s report stops.

That is at your meter out in the street right-of-way.

The feed from the street to your kitchen is indeed something to consider.

It is not covered in the report and may have lead present.

Typically when people started re-plumbing their original galvanized steel pipes, they did so because the steel pipes build up with mineral deposits that eventually reduce the flow to nothing. The galvanized pipes running vertically (up to the kitchen) were not replaced because the minerals only build up on the horizontal runs and it is far more intrusive breaking into walls and cabinet backs.

dsa April 24, 2016 (6:31 pm)

Look at who they state the “Owner” is on these copper pipes. I believe the section of pipe terminates at the property line at which it may or may not be copper from there on. I believe mine galvanized even though it is marked copper on this map.

AMD April 24, 2016 (7:20 pm)

I think you’re onto something. Just out of curiosity I looked up a house I owned several years ago where we had replaced the water service. It is definitely a plastic pipe from the city connection to the house, and it replaced a plastic pipe before that, but the city pipe we tied into was copper, as is listed on the map. (Yes, it’s possible the new owners replaced the nearly 300′ underground pipe in the last three years when it was less than 10 years old, but that seems unlikely).

EmilyC April 24, 2016 (6:58 pm)

I have a 1904 house on a street-to-street lot. The map shows a 1934 copper water line coming in from the street along the front of the house. BUT our water actually comes in from the street along the back of the house. Not sure how much I trust this map.

JayDee April 24, 2016 (7:00 pm)

In my case, I had copper re-piped from the water meter when the galvanized corroded out in 2003. 1952 era plumbing.

Community Member April 24, 2016 (7:07 pm)

@Gina – maybe the house had a well.

It’s interesting that my house was built in either 1933 or 1935 (records exist with both dates), but the water hook-up was done in 1914. I wonder what was on the lot before this house.

Valvashon April 24, 2016 (7:27 pm)

So my feeder line (to the meter) is copper, but what enters my basement is galvanized. It’s from 1961 (as is the rest of the plumbing, soon to be cut away and replaced with CPVC). Do I need to worry about lead from this short section in the ground? Was planning to have it sleeved when I started working at that point- is it better to just replace it? Is it a DIY with a shovel thing or is it better accessed by professionals and their trenching?

fluffylongshanks April 29, 2016 (10:44 pm)

I replaced my service line with pex about 3 years ago. It’s certainly accessible to the mildy handy.

John April 24, 2016 (7:49 pm)

The utility’s water line ends at the meter, usually on the sidewalk or planting strip.

The property owner is responsible for the line from the meter to the house.

The water line from the meter to the house are typically copper, plastic or galvanized steel.

New construction has abandoned the “gold standard” of copper plumbing. Nearly all new work is plastic which has less defects, leaches less, costs less, is more freeze-proof, is safer(no fires from soldering) easier to patch/splice and faster & easier to install.

Older copper lines used lead solder in all connections.

The lead solder was used for all copper connections and fittings inside homes.

Older ‘classic’ plumbing fixtures, tub spouts, shower-heads, sink and kitchen faucets also contain high levels of lead.

The size of the water meter service is either 3/4″ or 1″.

A 1″ meter costs about $800 more than the typical 3/4″ hook-up.

Some people increase their section of the supply line (meter to house) to 1″ even though they have a 3/4″ meter. This is done to lessen the affects of surface tension loss of pressure/volume over long lines or uphill.

dsa April 24, 2016 (7:55 pm)

V, I don’t think there are any old soldered joints on the city side to worry about. Those that I saw were either compression or flare fittings, ymmv. You don’t replace the city pipe if that is what you are asking. The other one could be dyi. but I wouldn’t work on anything short of my shut off.

dsa April 24, 2016 (8:50 pm)

FYI, copper does not necessarily mean lead solder was used. It depends on when it was installed. Mine was done with lead free solder.

WSB April 24, 2016 (8:54 pm)

I heard back from Andy @ SPU. They don’t know yet why there are gaps but will look into it. – TR
- WSB April 24, 2016 (9:01 pm)
  
  And one more followup from Andy: “We know there are some “blanks” in the database. Records were not always well kept or complete and some parts of the city were annexed. If your readers have questions—such as, “I can’t find information for my address”—please ask them to call 684-5800, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.”

Nw mama April 24, 2016 (10:50 pm)

Kudos to SPU for getting this information to us in a timely manner. Sincercely, that’s a functional government service. Woohoo!

JC April 25, 2016 (9:47 am)

So my question is what is in the street up to the meter? I noticed my parents house and my house had copper installed from the meter to the house back in the 1950’s, but are the other pipes from the road to the meter galvanized?

Question Mark April 25, 2016 (9:54 am)

Take the Installation Date on the map with a grain of salt. Best guess I have is that it is probably the installation date for the meter, not the service line in use now. I know for a fact that a plastic service line was replaced in the past few years across the street from my house (I believe with copper) because the service line developed a leak. The map at that location shows copper service line with an installation date of December 30, 1978. My street is checkered with surface patches from replacing these service lines over the last 15 years or so as the plastic lines have failed …

sam-c April 25, 2016 (11:27 am)

Yes, the installation date for my house seems to be mixed up with the installation date for my neighbor’s house.
JC April 25, 2016 (11:34 am)

I think you are right when it comes to date and info, because my dad said the service line from the meter to the house was galvanized till he replaced it with either copper or some type of plastic pipe back in the 80’s.

Graysongirl April 25, 2016 (5:38 pm)

I was unable to pull the legend to find out what the difference between the blue line and red line. I must be missing something?

WSB April 25, 2016 (5:45 pm)

The blue line is the water main, usually under the street. The red lines are the “service lines” that run from the main to the customer – your house, for example. If you click the image and go to the “live” map, click any red line and it should show you info about the type of service line and installation date. (Note that other commenters have observed an abundance of “December 31st” so take the installation date as somewhat approximate.)

dcn April 25, 2016 (6:34 pm)

Does anyone know what the water main lines (blue lines) are made of? Are these consistent throughout the city, or are older areas made out of different pipe material than newer parts of town? I know our sewer lines are made out of different things in different parts of the city.