Protecting Our Tap Water: Significant Progress Made in Identifying Material of Water Service Lines

Virginia Beach Public Utilities is committed to protecting public health by providing clean, reliable drinking water to its customers. Since publishing its initial water service line material inventory last year to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), the department has significantly reduced the number of unknown service line materials. Approximately 99% of both the public and private water service lines in Virginia Beach’s water distribution system have now been identified.  

To date, no lead water service lines have been found. 

The LCRR is intended to help protect communities from the risks of lead exposure and requires all drinking water systems across the country to inventory public and private water service line materials in their service area. Public Utilities expects to complete inventorying the remaining water service lines by the end of 2027. 

Annual Notifications Coming Soon 

Customers whose service line material is currently unknown because it has not yet been inventoried will soon receive a letter notifying them that their service line material is “unknown, but may be lead.” This specific language is required by the EPA. Customers should not be alarmed if they receive this notice, as Virginia Beach Public Utilities is actively working to ensure all water service line materials are identified and included in the inventory. The letters will be sent to affected customers annually, until their service line has been inventoried. 

Customers whose water service line material has already been inventoried and verified as non-lead will not receive this annual notification letter.  

Customers can search their address on the water service line material inventory map to learn the material of both the public water service line and private water service line serving their property. 

Who is Responsible for the Water Service Line? 

Protecting drinking water from lead sources is the shared responsibility of Virginia Beach Public Utilities and the property owner. The public side of the water service line runs from the water main up to and including the water meter and is the responsibility of Virginia Beach Public Utilities. The private side of the water service line runs from the water meter to the dwelling/building and is the responsibility of the property owner. 

A Plan in Place 

Though the department does not anticipate finding any lead materials, if lead is found, the following actions will be taken: 

• If lead is found on the public side of the water service line, Virginia Beach Public Utilities will replace its portion of the water service line. 
• If lead is found on the private side of the water service line, the property owner should replace their portion of the water service line. Financial assistance through grant funding may be available to qualifying property owners who need to replace their private lead service line. 

For more information about the Lead and Copper Rule revisions and Virginia Beach Public Utilities’ role in protecting your tap water, visit VirginiaBeach.gov/Lead.  

• LCRR
• Public Utilities

Related Reading

• Protecting Our Tap Water: No Lead Water Service Lines Found in Virginia Beach to Date