The Lead and Copper Rule

JOHNSTON COUNTY PUBLIC UTILITIES: THE LEAD AND COPPER RULE

To comply with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Revision, Johnston County Public Utilities completed an inventory of customer water service line materials. With 95% confidence, we can conclude that the County has fewer than 1% of service lines containing lead.

Johnston County is committed to providing safe and reliable water, as protecting public health is our number one mission. One way we provide clean water is to ensure compliance with water quality regulations. The water that leaves our treatment plant is clean and safe to drink. Read our most recent annual water quality report.

In 2021, EPA revised the Lead and Copper Rule that governs water systems across the US. Under the revisions, all water systems were required to complete a water service line materials inventory. To comply, Johnston County Public Utilities completed an inventory to determine if our system has any lead or galvanized steel water service lines requiring replacement. Galvanized steel water service lines that or, or have ever been, downstream of a lead service line are categorized as galvanized requiring replacement (GRR). The County’s inventory process was based on a statistical modeling process that included a sampling of field verifications. View the Statistical Method Report for the completed inventory.

Customers should not be worried about the safety of their drinking water. Most of our system was constructed after the 1987 state-wide ban on lead pipes. Since that time, Johnston County’s standard practice has been to use only plastic service lines for the public portion of the service line. While the customer side of the service lines (the portion that the customer owns between the meter and home) was not installed by Johnston County Public Utilities, we believe that most of these service lines are not lead. It is also important to note that most galvanized steel water service lines will not require replacement, as they have not been located downstream of lead service lines. However, the inventory results determined that with 95% confidence, the County has fewer than 1% of service lines of lead or galvanized requiring replacement materials. At this time, no service lines were found to require replacement.

Johnston County Water Service Line Inventory and Public Map

The water service line inventory developed by Johnston County assists customers and ensure compliance with the LCRR. Click here to view the web-based inventory hosted through LeadCAST by Trinnex. The inventory and public map identifies the service line material inventory status of both the public and private portions of the water service line, based on the statistical modeling process that included a sampling of field verifications. With 95% confidence, we can conclude that the County has fewer than 1% of service lines containing lead.

What should customers know about lead in drinking water?

Since the early 1990s, public water systems like Johnston County continuously treat and test our drinking water to protect the public from lead and copper exposure in drinking water. Water does not have lead when it leaves the treatment plant and when it goes into or leaves the County mains, which carry water from the treatment plant to the community. Water can pick up lead as it flows through a customer’s service line or household plumbing, if either has lead. However, the County’s water treatment process includes corrosion control treatment (zinc orthophosphate) to prevent corrosion and the leaching of lead from any water services lines or plumbing containing lead. The County conducts routine lead and copper testing, in compliance with existing rules, to ensure our corrosion control treatment system is effective.

In 2021, the EPA revised the Lead and Copper Rule to provide an improved level of public health protection. The new rules become effective October 2024. The changes focus on identifying and removing lead service lines, provided increased levels of protection from lead exposure in drinking water to children at schools and daycare facilities, and providing information about lead in drinking water to the community.

What are the health effects of lead?

Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavior problems or exacerbate existing learning and behavior problems. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or during pregnancy can have increased risk of these adverse health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney or nervous system problems.

Who provides my water?

Johnston County Public Utilities provides retail water service to approximately 49,000 customers in unincorporated parts of the county and the Towns of Archer Lodge and Wilson’s Mills. In addition, the County provides complete or supplemental bulk water supply to the Towns of Clayton, Four Oaks, Princeton, Kenly, Micro, Benson, Selma, Smithfield, Pine Level, and Fuquay-Varina. The County also provides bulk water supply to Carolina Water Service (Winston Pointe area) and several Aqua NC systems (including Flowers Plantation).

If you receive your water bill from another entity, such as a town, please contact their utilities department for information about your service line and their lead service line program.

What is a water service line?

Water service lines are small pipes that carry water from Johnston County's water mains (large pipes located in the streets) into homes and other buildings. Water does not have lead when leaves the treatment plant and goes into or leaves the mains, which carry water from the treatment plant to the community. However, water can pick up lead as it flows through a customer’s service line or household plumbing, if either has lead.

Water Service Line Image

Who owns the water service line to my property?

Johnston County owns the service line from the water main in the street up to and including the water meter in the meter box located at the property line. The property owner owns the service line beyond the meter to inside the home.

What type of materials are service lines made of?

Service lines can be made of lead, galvanized steel, plastic, brass, copper, cast iron, or ductile iron. Homes built before 1987 may have services lines containing lead. Homes built after 1987 should not have a lead service line, due to the state-wide ban on lead plumbing and service line materials.

What do I do if I Have a Lead Service Line?

Johnston County Public Utilities did not find any lead or galvanized steel requiring replacement (GRR) water service lines in our system. If you believe you may have a lead or galvanized steel requiring replacement service line, and your home was built before 1988, please contact the County at (919) 209-8333 or email (waterinventory@johnstonnc.com). A County employee will visit your site to inspect the water line material at no cost to you. Water service will not be impacted during the inspection.

Furthermore, you can perform a simple inspection of your water service line materials with the guidance below:

You will need to be able to access your crawlspace or basement. In addition, please have the following items ready:
- Strong magnet
- A key or penny
- Smartphone or digital camera
- Flashlight (if needed)

CAUTION: If you are alone and going into your crawlspace, we recommend checking in with a neighbor, family member or friend before you go.

The EPA provides step by step instructions to help you identify the material. View this website and click the button labeled 'Start the Guide'. In general, the service main material can be identified as follows:
Lead
- Gray or silver
- Shiny and silver when scratched with key or penny (soft & scratches easily)
- Magnet will NOT stick
- Widens at base and forms a ‘bulb’
Galvanized steel
- Gray or silver
- No visible scratch on surface when scratched with key or penny
- Magnet will stick
- Has threads at connections
Copper
- Dull brown; greenish
- Same color as penny when scratched with key or penny
- Magnet will NOT stick
Brass
- Brown; can have green corrosion spots
- Gold color when scratched with key or penny
- Magnet will NOT stick
- Has threads at connections
Plastic
- Smooth and white, red, blue or black

If you identify a lead or galvanized requiring replacement service line, please contact Johnston County Public Utilities at waterinventory@johnstonnc.com or 919-209-8333. Please see the “What can I do to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water?” section below.

What other sources of lead are there in my home?

Other sources of lead include plumbing fixtures (faucets, valves, fittings, etc.), indoor copper plumbing pipes with lead solder, and lead paint. Lead paint in homes is typically the greatest contributor to lead exposure for young children.

Lead solder was commonly used to join copper pipes until around 1986, when it was banned. As lead solder is in direct contact with copper pipe, lead could be released into the drinking water. Lead paint was banned for residential use in 1978. Homes built before this time may have lead-based paint and dust contaminated with lead-based paint. Lead in drinking water is not the only possible source of lead in your home.

If you are concerned about lead levels in your home, consult your healthcare provider.

What can I do to Reduce Exposure to Lead in Drinking Water?

Johnston County Public Utilities did not identify any lead or galvanized steel requiring replacement water service lines in our system. However, the following are EPA’s recommendations to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water if you believe you may have a lead service line, galvanized steel requiring replacement service line or any other potential lead source in your plumbing, including copper pipes with lead solder:

Run cold tap water for 3 to 5 minutes before you use it for drinking or cooking if the water has gone unused for more than six hours. In doing so, you are flushing stagnant water from your service line and getting fresh water from the water main.
Use cold water for drinking, cooking, and preparing baby formula. Do not drink, cook, or prepare baby formula using water from the hot water tap; lead dissolves more easily in hot water.
Remove and clean faucet screens and aerators.
Consider buying bottled water or using a filter such as a pitcher filter or one that attaches to your faucet. The filter must be National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) 53- certified to remove lead.
Consult a licensed plumber to identify possible sources of lead in your plumbing. Faucets, fittings, and valves may add lead to drinking water.
Buy plumbing fixtures (faucets, valves, sinks, hose bibs, etc.) that have zero- or low-lead content meeting the current “lead-free” requirements. Read the labels of new plumbing fixtures closely.
Test your child’s lead for blood. Your local doctor or pediatrician can perform a blood test for lead and provide you with information about the health effects of lead. To learn more, contact North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services at 919-707-5951.

Can I shower in lead-contaminated water?

Yes. Human skin does not absorb lead in water. Bathing and showering should be safe for you and your children, even if the water contains lead over EPA’s action level.

What is the revised Lead and Copper Rule?

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) first published the Lead and Copper Rule in 1991. It has been revised multiple times to better protect children and communities at risk for lead exposure. After several years of review, the EPA released Lead and Copper Rule Revisions on October 16, 2021. Johnston County Public Utilities has completed the initial requirements of the new rule by completing the water service line inventory before October 16, 2024.

Key Lead and Copper Rule Revisions requirements include:

Develop and publish a materials inventory of all service lines – public and private
Create a lead service line replacement plan based on the results of the inventory
Update/expand the compliance sampling pool based on new criteria
Prepare a sampling plan for schools and licensed daycares

For More information on the Lead and Copper Rule, visit:

How can I Learn More?

Please contact Johnston County Public Utilities at waterinventory@johnstonnc.com or 919-209-8333, if you have any questions or need additional information.