Southport conducting inventory of water lines, checking for lead pipes

SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — As part of an effort to meet new federal requirements related to lead in water service lines, Southport’s Department of Public Services is compiling an inventory of all water lines servicing homes in the city.

This inventory is the first step in a project to identify and replace lines comprised of lead or galvanized materials, which is a requirement for all water utilities in the state under new regulations passed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) published December 16, 2021.

“We regularly test our water for lead and other contaminants and have had no issues in over ten years,” Southport’s DPS Director Tom Stanley reassures residents. “Our drinking water is of exceptional quality.”

The inventory will be used to establish priorities for service line replacement which means identifying the areas with the most lead service lines and addressing these first.

Another element of priority will be to reduce costs by combining the projects with other efforts that involve opening roads and sidewalks, and to replace multiple service lines in one area at the same time.