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West Linn water staff say EPA rule requires letters to 4,000 customers with unknown service‑line material
Summary
City staff told the council that, under EPA/OHA lead and copper rules, the city must notify about 4,000 customers whose service‑line materials remain unknown; staff said notification does not mean lead was found and explained outreach and the plan to field‑verify remaining lines over time.
City water operations staff told the West Linn City Council on Nov. 12 that federal and state lead‑and‑copper rules require the city to notify customers when the material of their water service line is unknown.
Water Operations Supervisor Matt Katz said the city has about 9,600 service lines. Using building dates, billing records and GIS data, staff removed roughly 5,000 lines from the “unknown” list, field‑verified about 500 more, and now have roughly 4,000 customer service lines whose material is unknown. Under EPA and Oregon Health Authority rules, the city must send notices to those customers informing them the service line material is unknown, provide federally required language about lead, and supply contact information for questions.
Katz told the council the city does not expect to find lead in West Linn based on past sampling; he said the city’s historical lead and copper results have been below the maximum contaminant level and that the notices are a compliance step. Staff emphasized that receiving a letter does not mean a resident’s service line contains lead.
Staff described outreach tools: a dedicated email address and hotline for inquiries, a web page and QR code with FAQs, and a field‑verification plan to inspect meter boxes and confirm materials. Katz said the city will assume responsibility for documenting the system‑side materials and will accept homeowner input where available; full field verification of the remaining unknowns is manpower‑intensive and may take multiple years, though staff hope to complete many verifications sooner.
Councilors asked about homeowner responsibility and cost; staff said the city will document materials and may budget for field work but did not provide a firm timeline or dollar amounts at the meeting.
