Lead Service Line Inventory

Project Overview

The City of Palo Alto is committed to providing safe drinking water to all its customers by following all Federal and State regulations. The State Water Resource Control 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. This inventory must be completed and submitted by October 16, 2024.

The City is working diligently to meet the October 2024 deadline and will post periodic updates on this project webpage.

Project Details

City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) 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 thorough records review on the information that was available, CPAU has determined to investigate all water services 3 inches or smaller and installed before January 1, 1987. 

To determine the material of the water service line, CPAU 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. 

CPAU 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 pipe 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) . 

Figure taken from Rules and Regulation 21: Special Water Utility Regulations

Project Timeline

• CPAU began its review and planning stages of this project in early 2023.
• CPAU began the pilot phase of surveying the identified water service lines in August 2023. 
• Work will continue through October 16, 2024.

Working Hours

Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

CPAU crew members will be using hand tools and, at times, excavator trucks to expose the water service line, and will have the proper identification on hand at all times.

Try the New Interactive Map Tool

Have questions about your address? Use this interactive map to search an address and see the results of the Lead Service Line Survey. If you have any questions about this survey, please reach out to the Operations office at (650) 496-6982.

Additional Resources

US Environmental Protection Agency Revised Lead and Copper Rule

State Water Resource Control Board Lead and Copper Rule for Drinking Water

Basic Information from the Environmental Protection Agency about lead in drinking water