Lead Service Line Inventory

Project Overview

The City of Patterson is committed to providing safe drinking water to all its customers by following all State and Federal standards. The State Water Resource Control Board (Water Board), in alignment with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), enforces the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). The US EPA recently made changes to the LCR with the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) and will likely make further adjustments by October 2024. To ensure public water systems are reducing lead exposure to their customers, the US EPA is requiring all large public water purveyors to complete a Lead Service Line Inventory (LSL Inventory). The objective of the LSL Inventory is to determine if there are any lead pipes in the water distribution system on both the public and customer (private) portions were completed in October of 2024 and submitted to the Water Board. There is no further action needed at this time. Please see the link below for a detailed inventory of the City of Patterson on service lines for details.

Current Status

As of now, there is no further action required regarding the LSL Inventory. The thorough assessment ensures that the city has a clear understanding of where lead pipes exist, allowing for informed decision-making and planning for an y necessary future actions.

For more detailed information, including specific data on service lines within the City of Patterson, pleaser refer to the provided link to the detailed inventory report. This document offers an in-depth view into the findings and methodology of the inventory.

State Inventory Final

Project Details

The city of Patterson has records of the city-owned portion of the water service line and has certified that no lead is present in its system. However, there is little to no information regarding the customer-owned portion of the water service line. After a preliminary inventory of the information that was available, the city will survey approximately 1,866 facilities, all installed before January 1, 1987.

To determine the material of the water service line, city crew members may perform the following:

Use hand tools to excavate the area in and around the water meter box.
Operate excavator trucks to clear out large debris from the meter box.
Perform scratch tests on the pipe to determine the pipe material.
Document pipe material with photos.
Record pipe material at the water meter box as well as the nearest spigot or hose bib.

City crew members will be working mostly in the area of the water meter box and the closest water spigot after the meter box. They will not need access to your backyard or inside your home.

What is a Water Service Line?

The water service line is the pipe infrastructure that supplies water from the City's main to the customer's building. This line begins at the main connection and connects to the building inlet. The city operates and maintains the pipe from the main up to and including the water meter. The customer's responsibility begins after the water meter and all the pipes downstream going towards the home. These water service lines can be made up of several materials such as lead, galvanized steel, copper, or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). A diagram is below.