Unknown Service Line Letter - Both Sides

YOUR WATER SERVICE LINE MAY CONTAIN LEAD.

PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE AND
SHARE WITH ANYONE USING WATER AT THIS PROPERTY.

PROPERTY MANAGERS ARE REQUIRED TO POST AND
SHARE WITH RESIDENTS AND TENANTS.

This letter serves as your annual notification regarding your water service line material, as recorded by WSSC Water. You will continue to receive these notices each year until WSSC Water verifies that your service line is non-lead. Please read this letter carefully, as some information has been updated from the initial notification last year.

WSSC Water is proud to implement the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule, an important national public health initiative to remove lead from America’s drinking water. This multi-year rule focuses on identifying water service line pipe materials, including those that are customer owned, on private property.

We have been reviewing plumbing records dating back more than 100 years and created an inventory of the materials used for water service lines, which are the pipes that carry water from WSSC Water’s water main to your property. A portion of the water service line is utility owned while the other portion is customer owned, as demonstrated in the following drawing.

The service line runs from the water main to the property receiving water. WSSC Water is responsible for the portion of the service line that connects to the water main and runs to the property line. The customer-owned portion of the service line is the part that runs from the property line into the home.

Our records review did not identify the pipe material for the utility and customer portion of the water service line connected to your property.

For the customer-owned portion of the service line:

To ensure your safety, we are providing tools and services to identify your water service line pipe material.

There are two ways to do this:

We have teams out now in neighborhoods checking the pipe material where it enters the home. These crews are with Lead Free Group (LFG), a WSSC Water contractor. You can schedule to have LFG check the customer-owned pipe by calling 301-206-7200. This is a free service. We will need to come back to verify the utility side.
If you want to perform the survey for the customer-owned service line yourself, you can use our online tool, which we describe in this letter. Again, we would need to come out to identify the utility side pipe material.

For the utility-owned portion of the service line:

WSSC Water will begin verifying pipe material of the utility-owned portion of the service line starting early 2026. The verification entails carefully digging down to the service line, usually in the yard, and exposing enough of the pipe to identify the pipe material. After pipe verification is complete, we will restore the area to a condition that closely matches its original state. Before we leave, we will let you know what we found and answer any questions.

If lead is found, we’ll assist before, during and after the replacement and provide guidance on flushing, sampling and filtering your water to ensure small lead particles are not present in your drinking water. We’ll also provide a pitcher filter for all water used for drinking, cooking and making ice or baby formula.

STEPS TO REDUCE LEAD IN DRINKING WATER

These steps are recommended to reduce lead exposure in drinking water. This isn't a full list, and some actions may reduce lead in water more than others.

Use a filter certified by an American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited certifier to reduce lead, which is effective in reducing lead exposure (ANSI 53).
Clean your faucet aerators to get rid of sediment, debris and possible lead particles.
Use cold water for drinking, cooking and preparing baby formula, as lead dissolves more easily in hot water. Note: Boiling water does not remove lead.
Run the cold-water tap for approximately five minutes after the water sits six hours or longer before use to flush water through the service line and plumbing. Taking a shower, running the dishwasher or flushing the toilet also will flush your lines.
For more information on lead, visit EPA's website at epa.gov/lead.

WHAT'S YOUR PIPE TYPE?

If your pipe has recently been verified through an in-home visit by our team or by completing the self-survey, please disregard the request for verification. To verify your water service line pipe material yourself, we developed a user-friendly online map. Please visit wsscwater.com/pipetype to access the instructions and map link. Simply type your address into the map to see your pipe material. The pop-up box has a survey link and step-by-step instructions to help identify the pipe type. If you have difficulty filling out this survey, please contact us at PipeType@wsscwater.com or 301-206-7200 for assistance.

Please call us if you do not have internet access. After you complete the survey, we’ll carefully analyze your information and inform you of the result.

REPLACEMENT & FINANCING

If lead is found on the WSSC Water-owned portion of the water service line, then we will replace that portion free of charge.
If lead is found on the customer-owned portion of the water service line, then we recommend you replace the pipe. WSSC Water is developing a financial assistance program to cover the cost of pipe replacement and minimal restoration for those participating in our program. Lead Free Group, our contractor, will reach out to you and share more details once the assistance program is finalized. You can also look for updates at wsscwater.com/pipetype.
If you replace your water service line before our financial assistance program is finalized, then you need to notify WSSC Water as EPA requires that we replace the utility-owned water service line if necessary.
Once replacement of a water service line is complete, you will need to follow guidance on flushing, sampling and filtering to ensure small lead particles are not present in your drinking water.

WSSC WATER ACTIONS TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH

Even if your water service line contains lead, that does not necessarily mean lead is present in your drinking water. WSSC Water carefully filters and expertly treats all drinking water to ensure safety and quality. Water leaving our filtration plants is lead free.

To minimize the risk of lead dissolving into the water from plumbing materials, we add a corrosion inhibitor, orthophosphate, to the water supply to create a protective coating on the inside of pipes (including those on customer property).

MORE THAN A CENTURY OF PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH

For more than 107 years, WSSC Water has taken proactive steps to ensure water quality and safety. Our water meets all the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Act standards, and we’ve never had a drinking water quality violation. Additionally, our latest round of lead and copper testing results were well below the EPA action levels. Read our Water Quality Report to learn more.

We understand that learning your water service line may contain lead can be concerning. Please email PipeType@wsscwater.com, call 301-206-7200 or visit wsscwater.com/pipetype if you have questions or need more information. We are here to help

Sincerely, 
Bilal Sarayra, P.E.
Lead Service Line Replacement Program Manager
PipeType@wsscwater.com

Last Modified: December 19, 2025, 5:33 pm EST