WEST SPRINGFIELD — Officials in West Springfield are calling on hundreds of property owners to examine pipes connecting their homes and businesses to water mains in the city, because the search is on for harmful lead in the system.
Authorities are trying to comply with a federal order to let the Environmental Protection Agency know whether lead is still being used in those pipes or “pigtail” connectors.
Revisions to the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule require all public water systems to take an inventory of all service lines that connect commercial and residential properties — along with municipal buildings, including schools — to their water distribution systems.
“A service line is considered to be any type of pipe or tubing that leaves the city water main and connects to some sort of structure,” said Mike O’Connell, deputy director of water in West Springfield. “Those pipes come in a variety of materials. The purpose of this inventory is to identify what those materials are, in places where our records are lacking.”
O’Connell told Reminder Publishing authorities aren’t expecting to find a problem with lead in the city’s water. Officials are asking property owners to help the city get a better idea where lead material may be present in the water distribution infrastructure.
“We’re actually in pretty good shape, compared to some of the other municipalities surrounding us that I’ve spoken with. Some of my predecessors did a really good job of both record keeping and updating pipe material to modern standards, even before it was a requirement,” said O’Connell.
The Water Division head said there are some 9,000 service lines in West Springfield. Officials already know the composition of approximately 8,300 lines. But little is known about nearly 800 lines, and the city is reaching out to property owners to gather that information.
O’Connell said, in addition to those 800 lines, there are another 230 lines that he knows are made out of galvanized steel. He’s hoping the survey reveals where they are.
“We’ve already identified most of what’s connected to public buildings, because we have easy access to that information. Most of what we’re trying to identify connects to private property,” said O’Connell.
The city is using an engineering consulting firm to scour water division records to determine where there is missing information. Those properties have been identified and mailers have gone out asking those owners to complete a survey posted on the city’s website at www.TownofWestSpringfield.org/WaterSurvey.
Anyone needing help completing the survey, or to request that someone from the city visit a property to help identify the piping, can call 413-263-3242.
Property owners are being asked to complete the online survey, which includes uploading an image of the pipe that comes into their basement from the water meter. O’Connell said officials will be able to tell if the information is accurate based on the uploaded image. The web page includes instructions for identifying pipes, submitting photos and filling out the survey.
“If anybody heard about the survey through word of mouth or by the postcard, and wanted to verify that it was legitimate, they could go to the town website and see that this is an actual program being run by the town, and it’s not any sort of scam,” said O’Connell.
O’Connell said most of the pipes in the city’s water system are copper or plastic, but he and the EPA are concerned about galvanized steel pipes that may contain lead coating, or lead connectors called pigtails.
“I would be surprised if we were to find any lead pipes. But the galvanized steel is a concern. There was a variety of manufacturing methods for that, one of which was coating the interior of that galvanized line with solid lead,” said O’Connell.
West Springfield and other municipalities have until mid-October to submit their inventories — but questions remain about when and whether lead in the system will have to be removed, and who is responsible for the pipes, the city or property owners.
“Just because we may not be required to remove lead doesn’t mean it’s not a high priority for me. This is one of my career goals — to be able to declare the town lead-free by the time I hit retirement,” said O’Connell, who is 39 and doesn’t expect to retire for decades.
O’Connell indicated there is disagreement over who would pay to install lead-free piping, and he’s determined to help property owners if they’re forced to foot the bill.
“This is a personal project of mine and I’m trying to line up programs, that are budget-palatable, to be able to remove as many of these pipes as possible. I want to help property owners, whether it’s absorbing the full cost, being able to assist them or pointing them towards state grant programs. I’m trying to find as many avenues as possible to help these residents get rid of these surface lines,” said O’Connell.
West Springfield is using a $150,000 state grant to create the survey and send out mailers. The money is also being used to develop an online database where the public can view results of the inventory. The grant is also paying the cost of going onsite to help property owners identify their pipes and do any necessary excavation.
O’Connell is encouraging property owners to complete the survey, or ask for help identifying pipes, by the beginning of October so the city can meet its Oct. 16 deadline to submit a final report to the state.
