The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of requiring all cities in the United States to complete an inventory of its waterlines. While the attached required notice from the EPA may sound alarming, we want to reassure you with a few key points specific to the Kannapolis water system:
No lead waterlines have been found in the City of Kannapolis Water System.
We are actively verifying service lines for homes built before 1987. (Lead waterlines were banned in 1986 nationwide).
If a lead waterline is identified and is hooked up to your plumbing, we will assist you in reducing any potential lead exposure. This includes providing filters and replacing the City's portion of the service line. If the City’s portion contains lead, the customer will also be required to replace their portion from the meter to the home if the homeowner’s line is galvanized.
Lead testing of our system has consistently shown lead levels far below regulatory limits. This is due to both the absence of lead in our system and the effectiveness of our corrosion control treatments.
A component of the required EPA inventory is identifying what materials your plumbing is composed of. Because your house was built before 1987, we do not have a record of the type of materials your plumbing is made of. We need your assistance in identifying your plumbing line materials.
Please complete the following steps:
Locate your incoming drinking water line.
If you have easy access to the basement/crawl space of your home, look for a pipe that enters the house through an outside wall or dig near your shutoff valve outside—this is your water line.
Determine if the pipe is plastic or metal by looking at it or tapping it.
If the pipe is metal, use a refrigerator magnet to check if it is magnetic.
If a magnet sticks, the pipe is galvanized iron or steel.
If it’s NOT magnetic, use a coin to gently scratch the pipe.
If it scratches very easily and turns a shiny silver color, it’s lead. If the pipe doesn’t scratch easily, has a copper color, and is not magnetic, it’s made of copper.
Please visit www.kannapolisnc.gov/lead-pipe and complete the short form letting us know if your pipes are plastic, lead, or copper by December 31,2024.
Attached you will find an official notice from the EPA that we are required to send all residents who have unidentified plumbing materials. If you DO NOT have lead pipes the notice does not apply to you. If you DO HAVE lead pipes the notice provides you with information on why it is important to know what materials your plumbing lines are made of.
The City of Kannapolis has been proactively working on this issue for several years and continues to prioritize the safety of our customers by striving to eliminate any possibility of lead in the drinking water system.
For more information and resources, please visit our website: https://www.kannapolisnc.gov/lead-pipe. You are welcome to email us at servicelines@kannapolisnc.gov or call us at 704.920.4444.