Newport News Waterworks to Publish Comprehensive Water Service Line Inventory to Ensure Public Health and Safety

Newport News Waterworks (NNWW) is committed to protecting public health by providing clean, reliable drinking water. In compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Revised Lead and Copper Rule (LCRR), which aims to identify and replace lead lines, NNWW is conducting an inventory of service line materials across its service area. 

• NNWW is researching historical records and performing field inspections, including visual checks and excavations, to identify service line materials. Predictive computer modeling based on representative sampling is also being used to ensure comprehensive results.
• NNWW has already replaced any lead service lines identified in the system and continues to take proactive steps to eliminate any potential risks.
• Starting this month, customers can visit http://www.nnva.gov/lead-safe to search for their property address and view the materials used in both the public (utility) side of the service line (from the main to the meter) and the private side (houseline from the meter to the house). If your property’s service line material is not yet identified, we encourage you to fill out a simple online survey to assist us in completing the inventory.
• Following the online publication of the map, NNWW is also required to mail letters to customers at properties with known lead lines and service lines for which the material is either unknown or is made of galvanized iron that at some point had a known lead line upstream. There is a high probability that most unknown service lines are not likely to contain lead. 
• EPA took the conservative approach that service lines of unknown material should be considered as potential lead lines, and NNWW will mail about 19,000 letters between mid-October and mid-November 2024 due to lack of information on the customer side of the service line (i.e., the portion between the meter and the house).  
• To improve the accuracy of the inventory, customers are encouraged to test their portion of the service line and submit the results following the instructions provided in the letter or by visiting NNWW’s lead webpage at http://www.nnva.gov/lead-safe.
• Because the water supplied by NNWW has had zero lead exceedance since the initial Lead and Copper Rule was published over 3 decades ago (1991), customers can be reassured that if they receive a notification letter, NNWW is simply working to ensure all water service line materials are identified and included in the inventory.

For additional information, contact 757-926-1000 or visit nnva.gov/lead-safe.