Water Service Line Identification Program

The Town of Jupiter’s Service Line Identification Program was created to comply with new requirements outlined in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule which requires the Town’s Utilities Department to identify and share publicly the material of all water lines within its water system. 

The Town has developed an interactive map of the water service line inventory for the community. Click here to find out more.

Lead and Copper Rule History & Next Steps 

The EPA passed a federal regulation in 1991 known as the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), which requires drinking water utilities to provide corrosion control and monitor for lead in customers’ homes. If high lead levels are detected in the water, then a utility must work to improve corrosion control and reduce lead. The Jupiter Utilities Department has maintained consistent compliance with the LCR since the rule was established.

In January 2021, the EPA announced revisions to the LCR including guidance for water service line identification and reporting impacting water utilities nationwide. Effective December 2021, EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) require water systems to conduct a service line material inventory, address locations with elevated levels of lead and quickly respond to related problems that could arise. The deadline for addressing the initial LCRR requirements is October 16, 2024.

The Town has worked over the last 2 years preparing informational materials and a website for the community, developing a service line inventory and providing detailed instructions for customers to assess the service lines on their own properties.

Background Information

Drinking water sources do not typically have naturally occurring lead. Instead, certain types of plumbing materials that transport drinking water to homes and businesses can deposit lead into the water. These plumbing materials include older service lines, faucets and other fixtures. A service line is the underground pipe that connects your home to the water main, delivering water to faucets, bathtubs, showers and other water outlets inside the home.    

The Town delivers drinking water to a service area that includes over 30,000 service connections, serving approximately 94,000 residents. To comply with the LCRR, service lines must be identified as non-lead, lead, galvanized requiring replacement or lead status unknown. 

The Town does not currently have any known lead service lines, and if your house was built after 1977 it is highly unlikely that you have a lead service line as Palm Beach County’s adopted plumbing code removed lead pipe as an approved material after 1977. 

What We’re Doing  

First and foremost, we want to assure our customers that the likelihood of finding lead service lines or lead in drinking water in Jupiter is low. 

While most of the water service lines in Jupiter are free of lead, Utilities Department staff spent the last year in several communities to confirm the absence of lead. These locations had a service line that was temporarily classified as “lead status unknown,” as the material of the lines hadn't been identified and lead lines may have existed since the home was constructed before the lead ban year. 

The Town is proud to announce that they recently completed the inventory of all service lines and can confirm that the water system is lead free. Click here to explore the interactive map and find out more about the water service line at your home.