Don’t Let Lead & Copper Communications Lead You to Despair
At last count, AE2S has helped more than 70 public water systems in seven states with Lead and Copper Rule compliance. Bring up the nationwide initiative to a local water utility employee, and you’re likely to get an exasperated sigh, eye roll, or a nervous, “it’s fine, everything is fine” through clenched teeth.
Why It Matters
Under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead and Copper Rule revisions and improvements, public water systems must identify all public AND private pipes in their systems. The baseline inventories must be submitted to the EPA by November 1, 2027.
Lead in drinking water is dangerous, especially for children. The EPA’s goal is for utilities to identify all the pipes that could leach lead into drinking water and then create plans to replace them with safer alternatives. Since it is the first time public water systems have ever been required to identify the pipes that connect to homes and businesses, this effort involves a lot of communication with utility customers.
Here are a few lessons learned from our efforts working on lead and copper outreach.
Public Information Campaign
The average homeowner may not know what a “service line” is or where to look for it. (It’s the pipe that delivers water into a property from the public water main. The correct pipe is connected to the water shutoff valve and is often found on the lowest level of the building, in places like utility rooms.)
Effective public outreach starts with education and helping residents became aware that the water utility is working on identifying pipe materials in the community. There are a number of ways to do that, and a strong education campaign will include at least three of the following methods:
- Personalized letters or mailers
- Town hall events
- Utility bill inserts
- Website announcements
- App or text alerts
- News releases
- Ads or Public Service Announcements (PSA)
The campaign should explain the following to customers:
- WHY the water system is looking for lead pipes, plus the health concerns associated with lead in drinking water
- WHAT a service line is, preferably with photos
- WHERE a service line can typically be found
- HOW the utility will identify lead, copper, plastic, and galvanized pipes
- WHO to contact for assistance
- WHEN the customer needs to complete a survey or make an inspection appointment
Survey Your Customers
Asking customers to complete a short survey is one of the most cost-effective and time-efficient ways to gather data for your service line inventory. Sharing links or QR codes is a great way to promote digital surveys. Both can be incorporated into any of the tactics listed above. One benefit of an online survey is the reduced data entry for utility staff.
A drawback is that not all customers may have internet access or familiarity with QR codes. This can make digital surveys challenging for some people to complete.
Low-tech paper surveys may allow more people to complete them. However, the amount of data entry required by utility staff is a serious consideration, as well as the physical space or digital storage capacity needed to scan and save completed paper surveys. One option to consider is to include language on your outreach encouraging digital submission but providing an option to request a paper submission form.
Conduct Inspections
Conducting inspections can be an effective way to complete a service line inventory. If you choose to have utility staff do inspections, AE2S recommends the following:
- Decide whether staff will knock on doors or make inspection appointments.
- Post the names and photos of inspectors on your website so your customers know who to expect (and make a social media post about safety and how to verify assigned inspector(s).
- Provide an alternative to in-person inspections, such as completing a survey or submitting photos of a service line for staff to identify.
- Require inspectors to wear a badge with their photo, name, and employer listed.
- Publish an inspection schedule for each area of town so people have a general idea of when to expect staff to knock on their door.
- Leave door hangers that explain why the inspectors stopped by, how to schedule an appointment, and how the customer can identify their own pipe.
Multi-Prong Approach is Best
For the past few years, AE2S has worked with water utilities in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana, Colorado, and Utah to complete their service line inventories. We have discovered there are several ways to gather data, and a multi-prong approach is the most effective.
If you have questions or need public outreach assistance with your public water system’s service line inventory, we are ready to help! Reach out to AE2S Communications.