75K OCWA customers receive letter about status of their drinking water service line

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Thousands of OCWA customers may have questions about their drinking water after getting a letter in the mail about the status of their water service line. There are three different versions of the letter and it's causing a lot of confusion.

OCWA says roughly 75,000 of its customers received a letter. The letters were sent out at the beginning of the month and the last batch was expected to be received on Thursday, Nov. 14.

"There was three letters that went out. One for folks that we have identified as having lead service lines, another letter going out to customers who have identified galvanized requiring replacement," said Jeff Brown, executive director of OCWA.

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Out of those 75,000, about 400 were told their drinking water service line contained lead pipe material. But OCWA says it's important to note that doesn't mean all those homes or businesses have lead. The agency says the letters are based on its records and only if the owner notified them about the issue.

OCWA-LETTER-lead Download

"It's a combination of either customers letting us know what their service material is or us identifying it," said Brown.

About 3,500 were told their water service line contains galvanized steel and it may require replacement.

OCWA-LETTER-galvanized steel Download

However, about 70,000 OCWA customers received the last letter, telling them their piping material is unknown.

OCWA-LETTER-unkown material Download

"The largest bulk are for customers who have service lines that we don't know what they are made of, and we are asking for their help to let us know what they are made of," Brown said.

However, OCWA says some of the unknown service lines may actually be known.

"That doesn't necessarily mean that the service line that is going into their home is of an unknown material. Customers may have called us, they may have sent in photographs to let us know what the service line is made of going into their home," Brown said. "But there's also a service line that goes from the water main in the street to the beginning of people's property essentially and that's the OCWA side."

OCWA says on their side of the service line material construction is unknown.

"Somebody may get a letter and say well I let OCWA know what my service line was made of, that's understandable, feel free to call us, we can explain that to them," said Brown. "But that doesn't necessarily reflect in the letters that they received. They may be receiving an unknown letter even though their side of the service line is known."

So how can you figure out if your pipe contains lead? There are many ways. First, try a magnet to see if it sticks to your pipe. If it does, then it's galvanized steel. The magnet will not stick if your pipe does contain lead.

OCWA also says it's important to pay close attention to the coloring of the pipe. If it's the same color as a penny, then it's copper. Galvanized and lead pipes will be a dull gray. Also make sure you scrape off the color on your pipe, because it may have paint over it.

OCWA recommends customers follow the steps on the back of their letter to help reduce lead in their drinking water. Brown says the biggest one is running your water for about a minute or so at the start of each day.

OCWA-LETTER-back of letter Download

"When the water sits overnight, there can be some sentiment. So you want to let it flow and then that will typically remove any potential for lead," said Brown.

As for replacing your pipes, OCWA says they are currently working on securing funding that could help cover costs for those affected.

If you need help in figuring out your water service line material, call OCWA at 315-455-7061 ext. 3139 to schedule a home visit.

Click here for more information.