City of Ontario’s Lead Service Line Inventory
Project Overview
The City of Ontario is committed to providing its customers with safe and reliable drinking water by following all Federal and State water quality standards and regulations.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) regulates drinking water to protect public health. In December 2021, the USEPA changed its Lead and Copper Rule to provide greater and more effective protection of public health by reducing exposure to lead and copper in drinking water. By October 16, 2024, public water systems must identify whether any lead service lines exist, develop an inventory of their service line materials, provide public access to this information, and provide educational material on the effects of lead exposure.
What is a Water Service Line?
Drinking water service lines are a shared responsibility between the City of Ontario (public side) and the homeowner (private side). The City of Ontario ensures all service lines on the public side are made from lead-free materials.
The shared service line is the pipe that supplies drinking water from the City's main water line to the customer's home or building.
OMUC operates and maintains the pipe from the main water line up to and including the water meter. The customer's responsibility begins after the water meter and the piping into the home or building and after that.
As part of the Lead and Copper Rule changes, water systems must identify the material on the City-owned and customer-owned portions of the water service line. The City used building records and improvement projects to determine the material of the water service lines.
Where there is little to no information available, the Ontario Municipal Utilities Company (OMUC) investigated and classified the material of the water service lines. To determine the material of the water service line, OMUC crew members performed the following:
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- Use hand tools to excavate the area in and around the water meter box.
- Operate excavator trucks to clear out large debris from the meter box.
- Perform scratch tests on the pipe to determine the pipe material.
- Document pipe material with photos.
- Record pipe material at the water meter box and the nearest spigot or hose bib.
Project Timeline
- In 2018, OMUC started identifying and classifying the material of the City-owned portion of the water service lines.
- In January 2021, OMUC started investigating and classifying all water service lines with little to no information, including City-owned and customer-owned portions.
- OMUC regularly updates its lead service line inventory to provide its customers with accurate and reliable information.
Have questions about your address, please contact the Ontario Municipal Utilities Company at (909) 395-2678.