The Tampa Water Department is giving residents and businesses new insight into the infrastructure that delivers drinking water to their property. As part of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirement, the Tampa Water Department, along with all other utilities across the country, is making its service line inventory publicly available online at tampa.gov/KnowYourPipes. A service line connects properties to the City’s water mains, bringing clean, high-quality drinking water right to our customer’s taps. The inventory allows customers to find out the material that makes up their service line or take steps to identify it. In addition, customers whose service line material needs to be identified or needs to be replaced will receive a letter from the Tampa Water Department with additional information.
This inventory is part of a larger federal effort to remove lead service lines from properties across the United States. The Tampa Water Department wants to reassure its customers that it has never used lead as a standard material type for its service lines. In addition, testing data has not found lead in the treated drinking water that leaves the water department’s plant.
The Tampa Water Department is using several techniques to complete the inventory, including looking at historical data and having staff identify service line material when making repairs. Customers whose service line material still needs to be identified will be updated by mail every year until the Tampa Water Department can update that information. Residents who would like to identify the customer-owned portion of their service line (which connects the water meter to their property) can do so by submitting an online form. The form can be found at tampa.gov/KnowYourPipes.
While the federal requirement targets drinking water as a potential source of lead, customers may be exposed to lead through other sources including lead-based paint, dust, soil, cosmetics, toys, and jewelry. More information about potential sources of lead and its health impacts is also available at tampa.gov/KnowYourPipes.
In addition to making the inventory publicly available, the department is also giving customers additional tools to reduce their potential risk of lead exposure and improve the quality of their drinking water. This includes additional educational materials like door hangers and flyers that will be distributed in the coming months. Customers who have additional questions about the inventory or any information they receive are encouraged to call our dedicated phone line at (813) 272-8300.