Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) crews may knock on your door to check if your water service line is made of lead.
Confirming the material of service lines helps our efforts to share accurate information with homeowners and residents across Philadelphia.
Work will begin in July 2024 and is expected to last through October 2024. Inspections will take place on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
What we’re doing
To help protect Philadelphians from lead and comply with new federal laws, we are working to identify all water service lines that might contain lead, and share that information with the public through a map that will be available on our website soon.
We rely largely on data collected during recent meter upgrade appointments, but are planning to double-check for lead service lines at some customers’ homes to improve our accuracy.
Crews are visiting homes around Philadelphia to visually inspect the water service line where it enters the basement near the water meter to make sure the data we had collected from other sources is reliable.
Our goal is to verify about 400 service lines. If we reach that goal before we reach your home, we may not need to inspect yours.
What to expect
During this time, a crew member may knock on your door asking to briefly enter your home to conduct the verification. They will have PWD identification badges and will be wearing PWD-branded attire.
Participation is voluntary, and it is okay to say “no” if you are uncomfortable allowing someone into your home.
They will need access to your water meter, which is typically in the basement. We ask that the meter is accessible, not blocked by furniture or storage.
Crews will visually check the water service line, take a picture of the service line, and may swab or scratch the outside of the service line to identify the pipe material. There will be no impact on your water service.
The entire identification process, including the swab test, is expected to take 5 to 10 minutes.
What happens after that?
If a lead service line is detected, we’ll provide follow-up information to the property owner and any residents who live there.
When the map is ready, we will share it on our website.
Questions or Concerns?
Contact ServiceLineInventory@phila.gov or call 215-685-6300.