Aquarion tells Simsbury residents: service‑line inventory required under updated Lead and Copper Rule; company says town water is safe

Aquarion Water Company representatives told the Simsbury Board of Selectmen on Jan. 13 that although Aquarion’s public systems serving the town are currently in compliance with lead limits, federal revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule require every water system to inventory the material of customer and utility service lines.

“Aquarion water is safe to drink. There is no lead,” operations manager William Smith said in his presentation, while noting that some older customer‑side plumbing and service lines in New England historically contain lead and that the federal rule requires documentation of materials on both the customer and utility sides of service lines.

Aquarion encouraged property owners to use the company’s online service‑line inventory tool (aquarionwater.com/lead), complete a short form, and—when possible—upload photographs of the service connection between the meter and the building. George Logan and William Smith demonstrated how users can identify pipe types (lead, galvanized steel, copper, brass, plastic) by appearance and simple tests such as a magnet check or scratch test, and explained the company’s plan to mark properties on an interactive map with green checks (no lead), red dots (lead), or question marks (unknown).

Company staff said Aquarion conducts routine compliance sampling as required by the Connecticut Department of Public Health and EPA; the company reported all 73 of its public water systems are in compliance for lead. Aquarion is using state‑vetted vendors and the Connecticut Green Bank and state programs that may offer financial support to homeowners who need to replace private‑side lead service lines. Smith said the state has multi‑year deadlines to identify and replace known lead service lines and that Aquarion will follow the federally required schedule for identification and replacement.

Officials also addressed homeowner privacy and real‑estate implications: Aquarion said the inventory map is an inventory of pipe materials and not a statement that the drinking water quality in a home is unsafe; staff noted that, under real estate disclosure rules, homeowners already must disclose known lead plumbing or fixtures when selling a property. The company said it will work with customers who report elevated lead results or who lack the resources to replace private service lines, and that Aquarion’s water quality staff will conduct follow‑up testing when customers report test results above action levels.

The presentation included practical guidance about photographs and what to look for around a meter or curb box. Audiences asked about private wells (those are not included in the Aquarion inventory) and about whether homeowners will be financially responsible for private‑side replacements (generally yes, but financial resources and state programs may be available for low‑income owners). Aquarion said customers who complete the survey will stop receiving the same federally‑required letter annually; customers who do not complete the survey will receive follow‑up mailings until their service‑line material is resolved.

“Unknown does not mean necessarily that it’s lead,” Smith said, and he repeated that the safest mitigation is to identify any lead lines and replace them. Aquarion said they have found a very small number of known lead components in the region so far but many properties still show “unknown” until the customer assists with identification.

The meeting did not include an action vote on Aquarion’s program; instead, the presentation was informational and aimed at increasing homeowner participation and awareness.