New data provided on public water systems in Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - We are continuing to track lead water lines in Kentucky.

The state's Energy and Environment Cabinet is giving us updated numbers.

The Environmental Protection Agency gave all water companies an October 16th deadline, requiring them to submit full lists of their service line materials.

That includes lead lines and lines where water companies just don't know.

In a follow-up to a WKYT Investigation , we can now see how many public water systems have complied so far.

In Kentucky, the EEC says 391 public water systems were required to submit initial service line material inventories.

As of this week, the Division of Water has gotten 98.5% of those inventories.

They document the material making up service lines, which is the pipe that connects the main line to a house.

A lot of the water lines in the state are "unknown material." Some could even be lead.

In the next 30 days, Kentucky's Energy and Environment Cabinet says most Kentuckians will get a notice from their water company, telling them their lines are either unknown, lead or galvanized iron.

The EEC is now asking homeowners with unknown pipe materials to start working directly with their water companies to identify those lines.

Because lead pipes can erode and when they do, they can contaminate the water running through them.

WKYT did ask the Division of Water, is part of that 1.5% currently missing, but we have not yet heard back.