Overview

The Phase I Service Line Inventory is a crucial step in addressing lead contamination in drinking water. This inventory involves identifying and documenting the materials of all service lines within a water system, including both system-owned and customer-owned portions. The primary goal is identifying the location of lead service lines within the water system to prioritize their replacement and protect public health.

Entech assisted the Borough of Orwigsburg in meeting the inventory requirements of EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR). All water systems were required to comply with the initial phase by October 2024. Community engagement is essential in the data-gathering stage of the Inventory.

The first step in the process was gaining an understanding of the Borough of Orwigsburg’s water system assets and assessing the level of effort that would be required to meet the requirements.

Historical documents, such as local ordinances that pre-dated the 1991 PA Lead Ban and water main replacement documents provided invaluable insight into the water system. Entech also worked directly with Borough staff to correlate an ongoing water meter changeout project with the SL inventory efforts. As water meters were replaced, staff could visually inspect each access point without extensive excavation. Additionally, public outreach was critical in determining the service line materials and possible presence of lead on the customer-side of the water main.

Throughout the process, Entech kept in close contact with regulators to ensure that methods used were meeting the guidelines to validate “non-lead” service lines.

Following the data gathering stage, Orwigsburg engaged Entech to continue with the Phase 2 evaluation, which includes continuing to investigate remaining service lines of unknown material through additional verification methods beyond historical records.