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Water staff: no MCL exceedances, lead-service-line inventory under way; replacement program planned
Summary
City water officials reported no maximum contaminant level exceedances across 150+ tested contaminants, described a state-approved statistical approach to resolve about 6,000 unknown service-line materials and said the city aims to replace any known lead service lines promptly and meet EPA inventory requirements by fall 2027.
City water staff told the Board of Aldermen that New Bern’s water supply continues to meet regulatory standards and that the utility has no MCL exceedances to report for the tested contaminants. Jordan and water-plant staff explained New Bern uses groundwater wells and a state-certified lab to test raw and distribution water and that the city has qualified for reduced monitoring on many parameters due to historically low detections.
On lead service lines, water staff described the EPA’s 2024 requirement to inventory both the main-to-meter and meter-to-house portions of customer service lines. New Bern’s initial inventory returned about 6,000 “unknown” service lines; staff submitted a state-approved statistical sampling plan that reduces that field workload to a few hundred targeted verifications. Those samples will feed a model to yield a high-confidence classification for the remaining services; the city expects to finish the inventory phases this fall and then execute a lead-service-line replacement program for any lines documented as lead.
On PFAS and other emerging contaminants, staff said New Bern’s deep groundwater sources make PFAS detections less likely; the city sampled wells for a relevant PFAS suite in 2024 with no detects. Staff emphasized ongoing wellhead protection and monitoring to guard against new contamination sources.
Board members asked how customers can find information; staff said the annual consumer-confidence report will be mailed with utility bills, placed on the city website and printed copies will be available at city facilities.
