Service Line Verification Project
Service Line Verification Project
ECUA's Commitment to Our Community
Since 1981, ECUA has been committed to providing clean and reliable drinking water to its community. ECUA typically supplies an average of 36 million gallons of potable water to its customers daily and we strive to meet and exceed current standards set by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ECUA regularly invests in upgrading its infrastructure to ensure the safety and reliability of the water supply, and its water quality lab conducts frequent tests to maintain high water quality. The annual Water Quality Report offers detailed insights into the utility’s performance and water safety.
Program Overview
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has updated the 1991 Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) under the Safe Drinking Water Act, introducing new guidelines known as the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) and Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) to protect against lead and copper contamination in drinking water. Since lead and copper found in drinking water rarely come from the water source itself, but rather from household plumbing, all public water providers, including ECUA, must now inventory and document service lines within our utility system. In compliance with the EPA rule, ECUA is conducting a service line verification project to confirm the absence of lead lines in its service area. In September 2024, the ECUA and its contractor began the ongoing process of inspecting service lines where the material was/is unknown. We are pleased that, to date, we have already identified 91% of the private service lines within our system and all are verified as non-lead. This multi-year project is required by law. ECUA has long been proactive in reducing lead exposure by using corrosion control treatments, and conducting regular testing. The EPA's LCRI aims to identify service line materials, strengthen drinking water safety, and replace lead service lines nationwide.
ECUA’s Asset Management Water Service Line Verification Project:
Our Asset Management Program helps us maintain our system and serve you better. To this end, and to meet the recent changes in the Lead & Copper Rule section of the Safe Drinking Water Act, we are working to verify pipe material types on both sides of our customers’ water meters. We will be doing some shallow hand digging around randomly selected water meters. If your meter is selected, we’ll provide notice with a door hanger a few days before we start work, and rest assured that we will be sure to keep things tidy all around our work area. Please call our Customer Service at 850-476-0480 if you have any questions.
What is a Service Line?
Service lines bring water from the water distribution main in the public right-of-way into your home. When water leaves ECUA’s water wells, it is clean and lead-free. The water mains underground that transport water to your home or business do not add lead to the drinking water. Lead can leach into the water supply when it passes through a line containing lead or sits stagnant for approximately six hours or more in any household plumbing that contains lead. ECUA’s Corrosion Control Program is in place to counter the effects of water that is allowed to stagnate in pipes that may contain lead.
Check Your Service Line Status
You can use this tool to look up your address in our records and learn if your service line material has been inventoried. Simply search for your address below using the search bar at the top-right corner of the map. If your address comes up as "unknown" (or if the dot on your residence is blue) this means that we have not yet identified and documented the information in this database. An "unknown" status does not necessarily mean your service line contains lead.
Frequently Asked Questions
A water service line is a small pipe that carries water from the utility's water main, located underground in the street, to an individual home or other building.
The ownership and responsibility are divided between the property owner and the utility, with the dividing line being the water meter. The water meter is typically located in your front yard. ECUA is responsible for the service line from the water main in the street to the meter. The property owner is responsible for the service line from the meter to the home or business.
Service lines can be made of lead, galvanized steel, plastic, brass, copper, cast iron or ductile iron.
In some areas of Escambia County, building codes prohibited the use of lead piping as early as 1954. Plumbing in homes or businesses built prior to that date might possibly contain lead pipe. This is why we are working to inventory the private and public service lines. However, ECUA has not found any lead service lines in the past. Plumbing fixtures, such as faucets, were allowed to contain up to 8 percent lead until 2012 and this is why ECUA has a rigorous Corrosion Control Program designed to help mitigate the effects of potential lead leaching.
Lead can be found in paint, ceramics, pipes and plumbing materials, solders, gasoline, batteries, and cosmetics. Plumbing fixtures (faucets, valves, fittings, etc.), and indoor copper plumbing pipes may contain lead solder.
Lead Safety Information
Since all lead exposure has some risk, we are working to reduce that risk. If any lead service lines are found on ECUA's side of the water meter, it will be removed by ECUA. If any lead service pipes are found on the customer's side of the meter, we will advise customers so they can make an informed decision about its removal.
Lead is rarely found in the source water and ECUA water consistently tests well below the Federal and State standards. When water leaves ECUA’s water wells (treatment facility) and enters the distribution system (the water mains), it is lead-free. The water mains that transport water from the treatment facility do not add lead to the drinking water.
Lead can get into drinking water from the service line (if the piping contains lead) between the street and your home, or from the lead solder used in the plumbing inside your home. When water sits in the service line or your home plumbing without being used for several hours, such as overnight, the lead may leach into the water.
If you think you have lead solder, you can protect yourself by flushing the plumbing lines in your home. You can do this by running cold water for about 5 minutes whenever the water in your home has not been used for more than 6 hours. This is typically first thing in the morning or at the end of the day if no one has been home. A licensed plumber can also replace pipes that have lead solder with lead-free pipes.
As an added protection, ECUA has a rigorous Corrosion Control Program designed to help mitigate the effects of potential lead leaching.
Yes! You can buy a National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) 53-certified water filtration system, which can be installed at the faucet, or a filter pitcher that will remove lead. A water filter installed at the faucet will remove lead that may have entered the water from the service line, indoor plumbing, and plumbing fixtures. Visit this website for more information about NSF filters and a list of certified filters.
Health Information
Exposure to high levels of lead is a serious health risk. Lead builds up in the body over many years and can cause damage to the brain, red blood cells, and kidneys. The greatest risk is to young children, pregnant women and their unborn babies, and the elderly. Amounts of lead that typically will not harm adults can slow down the normal mental and physical development of children, particularly those under 6 years old.
You can take several actions to decrease your lead exposure, including:
- Getting a National Sanitation Foundation(NSF)-Certified home water treatment device, faucet, or pitcher filter that removes lead. The device must be both NSF 42- and NSF 53- certified to remove lead. Devices and filters installed at the faucet will remove any lead contained in indoor plumbing and plumbing fixtures.
- Buying plumbing fixtures (faucets, valves, sinks, hose bibs, etc.) that have zero- or low-lead content meeting the current “lead-free” requirements. Read the labels of any new plumbing fixtures closely.
- Running tap water for about five minutes before you use it for drinking or cooking, if the water has gone unused for more than six hours. In doing so, you are flushing the stagnant water and are getting fresh water from ECUA's water main.
- Using fresh, cold, running water for drinking, cooking, and preparing baby formula.
- Removing and cleaning faucet screens and aerators every six months.
DO NOT boil water to remove lead. Boiling water does not remove lead and can increase lead concentration in water.
Yes. Human skin does not absorb lead in water. Bathing and showering should be safe for you and your children, even if the water contains lead over EPA’s action level.
Visit the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule website.
An elevated risk of lead exposure occurs after a disturbance to a service line containing lead because the disturbance can dislodge lead particles from the inside of the pipe or cause lead corrosion scales to break loose. These particles can then enter the water supply, potentially leading to higher concentrations of lead in the drinking water.
Lead is a naturally occurring mineral. Lead and lead compounds can be found in many places. These places include soil, air, paint, ceramics, pipes and plumbing materials, solders, gasoline, batteries, and cosmetics.
Lead can cause serious health problems if too much enters your body from drinking water or other sources. It can cause damage to the brain and kidneys and affect the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen to all parts of your body. The greatest risk of lead exposure is to infants, young children, and pregnant women. You can read more about risks and specific symptoms of lead poisoning via these links.
There is no safe blood lead level for children under six years old. Lead poisoning can lead to brain and nervous system damage, slowed growth and development, behavioral, learning and emotional problems, and hearing and language issues. Lead can be found many places in a child’s environment, including old paint, soil, and old toys.
General symptoms of lead poisoning vary based on the person. Some symptoms may include abdominal or joint pains, slow growth and cognitive development, fatigue and loss of appetite, hyperactivity, and irritability. For adults over the age of sixty-five, lead can be extremely harmful. As lead builds up on their body over time, it can cause cognitive impairment, hypertension and kidney health issues.
Lead exposure can be very harmful to pregnant women and their unborn children. During pregnancy, the child receives lead from the mother’s bones, which may affect brain development. Prenatal lead exposure has known harmful effects on the mother and child’s health across a wide range of the mother’s blood lead levels. Some of these effects include gestational hypertension, spontaneous abortion, low birth weight, and impaired neurodevelopment. For more information on lead exposure during pregnancy click here.