ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Residents might want to keep an eye on their mailboxes over the next few weeks, as nearly 43,000 are getting a letter from the Lehigh County Authority.
For the second year, LCA, a nonprofit water and wastewater utility that serves more than a dozen Valley municipalities, has launched a public outreach campaign aimed at informing residents about lead water service lines in an effort to decrease exposure, as well as plans for replacement.
It’s part of an effort stemming from regulatory requirements from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“We want all customers to know about our efforts to remove lead pipes from the system. This is one of the largest and most important public health projects in our nation this century.”Liesel Gross, CEO of the Lehigh County Authority
In October 2024, the EPA published a new rule, the Lead & Copper Rule Improvements, or LCRI. Under the rule, utilities have until 2037 to remove all lead service lines from their systems.
In LCA’s service area alone, officials last year estimated it’ll cost $100 million. Now that estimate has tripled.
“LCA is committed to ensuring every family has access to safe drinking water,” LCA Chief Executive Officer Liesel Gross said in a Tuesday news release.
“We want all customers to know about our efforts to remove lead pipes from the system. This is one of the largest and most important public health projects in our nation this century.”
A $300 million project
The letters, going to LCA customers, will include information about their water service line, a pipe that runs from a home or business to the street, connecting to the water main.
It’s made up of two sides. The private side runs from the home or business to a curb box or valve, usually found near the curb or in the sidewalk.
Pipes running from the valve to the main are owned by LCA.
Service lines could be made of lead, galvanized iron or steel, or unknown material.
Letters will be sent to 42,786 customers, including 4,705 with known lead service lines, 6,026 with galvanized steel and 32,055 with unknown material, Taylor Stakes, LCA’s director of communications and strategic partnerships, said.
“Before LCA can remove all lead pipes, we need to work with our customers to build a database of all the lead pipes in the system,” Gross said.
“This annual mailing helps to keep customers informed of our progress on this important project.”
Officials last year said letters were sent to 39,683 customers, including 4,703 with lead service lines, 6,115 with galvanized service lines and 28,865 with service lines made of unknown material.
However, Stakes said 41,600 letters were sent last year.
The increase is likely because of a combination of factors, Stakes said, “including new construction and the fact that letters are sent to both property owners and tenants, which can result in multiple notifications per address.
“It’s also possible that a few additional addresses were identified as part of our ongoing data refinement.”
While the number of letters has increased, so has the estimated cost of the project.
The current estimate to complete all required lead and galvanized service line replacements across the service area by 2037 sits at about $300 million, Stakes said.
It is unclear how customer rates will be impacted.
What’s in the letter?
Customers with lead or galvanized pipes will receive a letter confirming the makeup of the pipes, as well as tips to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water.
Those include “flushing your water daily, cleaning faucet aerators and using a certified pitcher and filter,” according to the release.
Officials are urging residents with lead or galvanized pipes to follow the tips they receive until pipes are replaced with copper.
Exposure to lead — which cannot be seen, tasted or smelled in drinking water — can build up over time, causing a range of health effects, according to the Mayo Clinic.
In children, lead poisoning can cause a developmental delay, learning difficulties, irritability, loss of appetite, weight loss, sluggishness and fatigue, abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, hearing loss, seizures and eating things, such as paint chips, that aren't food, according to the medical center.
Letters to customers with unknown pipe material will show LCA does not have a record of the pipe make-up for their property, officials said.
However, customers can schedule a free LCA inspection to determine it.
Inspections are only for customer-owned pipes where the material is not known. Until the pipes are confirmed as non-lead, LCA recommends following the same safety tips as homes with lead or galvanized pipes.Lehigh County Authority
“Inspections are only for customer-owned pipes where the material is not known,” according to the release. “Until the pipes are confirmed as non-lead, LCA recommends following the same safety tips as homes with lead or galvanized pipes.”
The authority “is taking a systematic approach to replacing pipes by city blocks to help manage costs,” officials said.
LCA will let customers know when there’s a replacement project in their neighborhood, including details about what to expect before, during and after construction.
LCA officials also are actively pursuing grants to help pay for the work and lower the impact to water rates, according to the release.
A project to remove 1,000 lead pipes in the city alone — funded by a $6 million grant — is slated to begin in January.
In addition to the city, LCA’s service area includes Emmaus, Macungie, Alburtis, Coplay, Upper and Lower Macungie townships, as well as North and South Whitehall, Salisbury, Whitehall, Upper Milford, Hanover, Weisenberg and Lowhill townships.
For more information, go to the Lehigh County Authority’s website.
