Owners of Properties Built Before 1987 Asked to Check Their Pipes

Sioux Falls homeowners and businesses with properties built prior to 1987 will soon be receiving a letter from the City of Sioux Falls’ Water Purification team to request they help identify the material of their property’s water service line. In November 2023, the City of Sioux Falls announced it was participating in this mandatory, nationwide initiative, and the letter notification is the next step in the multi-phase initiative to identify remaining lead pipes in drinking water systems across the United States, as required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and supported by the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR).  

Lead is a known toxin for humans and animals, and the use of lead pipes and fixtures was banned by Congress in 1986. The Lead Service Line Inventory is the latest initiative in a nationwide, decades-long push to identify, remove, and replace lead pipes from drinking water systems. 

A water service line is a pipe that connects individual properties to the City’s water mains that distribute drinking water to the community. The portion of the service line that goes from the City water main to the curb is public, or owned by the City, and the portion of the service line that goes from the curb to the home or building on the property is private, or owned by the property owner. Homes and businesses built prior to 1987 are receiving the letter because lead was banned as a water service line material in 1986. The City has data for the makeup of public water service lines, but not for all private water service lines. 

“I want to be extremely clear: Just because you receive a letter from us does not automatically mean you have a lead service line,” said Ted Lewis, Environmental Engineer for the City of Sioux Falls. “Many of the homeowners we are trying to reach likely either have properties that were built with a different service line material, like copper, or the lead service line was already replaced but up to this point there was no formal mechanism for reporting that to the City. The EPA is mandating this information, so we need people to verify the material, especially in older homes, to ensure their own drinking water safety.” 

In the letter, property owners are instructed to visit www.sdwaterpipes.com and complete an online survey to report the material of their water service line. The website, which was developed by DANR for water providers across the state, has resources, commonly asked questions, and a step-by-step guide for identifying the service line material, in addition to the survey. 

If a property owner identifies a service line made of lead and submits their survey, the City’s Water Purification team will contact them. The first step will be to test the drinking water at the property, and the Water Purification team will work with property owners to determine next steps. Removal and replacement of lead service lines on private property are the responsibility of the property owner. Funding assistance via the City’s Housing programs may be available to property owners who meet income requirements. 

As for the public infrastructure of the City’s drinking water system, the City has proactively identified and removed lead pipes and fixtures for decades. Over the years, as the City has replaced its own infrastructure, it has worked with private property owners to do the same. 

“We are in a good position in Sioux Falls, having proactively addressed this issue for years now,” Lewis said. “However, this initiative is here to stay, and we need the community’s help to determine the work left to do.” 

For additional information and a step-by-step guide for completing the survey, visit www.sdwaterpipes.com.