Water Department launches new map of service line materials to meet new federal regulations

Online tool shares existing water service line material records for every Philadelphia property

PHILADELPHIA –The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) has launched a new public-facing online map showing PWD’s records of water service line materials for every property in Philadelphia.

The new map—and subsequent notifications to residents—are mandated by new federal regulations under the Lead and Copper Rule.   

With the new federal regulations, water providers like the Philadelphia Water Department must:

Share service line records with the public
Notify all residents about current records for the material of their service line
Replace all lead and galvanized service lines within 10 years, starting in 2027

Sharing these records through the public map and notifications is a key early step in an important effort to help customers remove lead service lines from properties. This does not mean there is a lead issue with Philadelphia’s drinking water.

Lead does not come from City water sources, treatment, or mains that deliver drinking water. If lead is found in water, it comes from a property’s plumbing. One key source is a service line. This is the pipe that connects a property to a water main. Residential lead service lines exist and are owned by the property owner.

View the Service Line Map

The Philadelphia Water Department has successfully used corrosion control treatment to protect drinking water from lead plumbing for decades. This process is successful based on years of sampling water from taps in properties with lead service lines. 

“We are proud to announce a significant milestone – our public-facing Service Line Materials Map is now available to customers,” said Philadelphia Water Department Commissioner Randy E. Hayman, Esq. “The map and related web pages contain descriptions of plumbing materials that connect homes to the public water system and guidance for what residents should do based on their categorization. Sharing these records represents an unprecedented effort by many teams across our department. This is a key step in our important effort to help customers remove lead service lines from their properties.”

 On the new service line map, materials for each property are categorized as:  

Non-Lead (copper or plastic)
Lead
Galvanized iron or steel (which also require replacement: they can corrode and decrease water quality)
Unknown

To categorize a service line, we’re required to identify material at these three points (see customer responsibility diagram for details): 

Material between main and curb stop (underground)
Material between curb stop and meter (underground)
Material at meter (in home)

Based on the three points, PWD provides an Overall Categorization for each property. Because two of the three points are underground, even properties with known copper connections at the meter are listed as Unknown.

As of October 16, 2024, PWD’s records indicate that the quantity of service line materials throughout the city includes:  

Lead: 14,272
Galvanized: 1,189
Unknown: 436,341*
Non-lead: 73,373

The map and related web pages contain descriptions of materials and guidance for what residents should do based on their categorization. We estimate about one in 20 Philadelphia properties, or five percent, may have a lead service line.     

Visit the map: water.phila.gov/service-line-map 

*Unknown Materials The majority of service lines are currently categorized as “unknown.” PWD recently checked materials at meters across the city as part of meter upgrade work. Even with this new information, we can’t categorize a line as “non-lead” without records for buried portions. Digging up most of the city’s streets and sidewalks to check the buried section is costly and disruptive. PWD has been testing emerging technologies to help categorize more service lines. PWD’s goal is to reduce the number of unknowns over time. 

In Philadelphia, lead exposure is associated with lead paint and dust and plumbing is not a common source.

Lead sampling data is published in the latest Drinking Water Quality Report

Next Steps/What customers can do:

In November, PWD will send letters to residents and property owners notifying them of existing records for service line materials. Because of the new requirement, these letters will now be sent annually moving forward. Letters include background on regulations, information on materials, and actions to take.  Actions to take are guided by each property’s service line material.

PWD offers the following suggestions to its customers:

Whether your property has lead pipes or does not, residents should regularly flush their pipes by running cold water from their tap for three to five minutes in the morning or after the water hasn’t been used in six hours. This helps ensure fresh water from the public system, which does not contain lead. 
You can report updated information about your service line back to us. If you have had your service line replaced, checked the material at your meter, or believe our records are incorrect.
Residents can get their tap water tested.  PWD offers testing for residential customers with service lines categorized as lead. Call (215) 685-6300 to let us know if you want a tap water test. 
You can replace your lead service line. PWD also offers a zero-interest loan for customers interested in replacing a lead service line. For more information about how the Homeowner’s Emergency Loan Program (HELP) can finance the replacement of residential lead service lines, visit: water.phila.gov/HELP

PWD also offers to replace lead service lines during planned water main water main construction work. PWD notifies residents by letter several months before work is scheduled to begin. Customers must sign the permission forms.    

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