About Water Service Line Testing
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is requiring all public drinking water agencies to conduct an inventory of their systems to determine the prevalence of lead and copper lines serving residences. To comply with the order, the City of Hermiston has hired a contractor to do service tests beginning this winter.
The work requires digging a two to three foot diameter hole directly in front of and behind the meter box, performing a scratch and magnetism test, and recording the results. The disruption must be repaired upon completion. At this point, no further action is required other than to take an inventory and report the results to the EPA before October 1, 2024.
Residences constructed after 1986 will not be tested because of federal rules put in place that year restricting the use of certain materials in water lines. Of the approximately 5,200 residential water meters in Hermiston, 2,800 were built before 1986.
The EPA has allowed cities to employ a statistical sampling method instead of testing each service. To meet this requirement, only 350 services in Hermiston will be randomly selected for physical inspection.
In order to continue the normal operations of the system, the City of Hermiston has hired a third-party contractor, North Cascade Excavating, to perform this inventory work. Each residence requiring an inspection should receive notification from the contractor approximately a week prior to the test.
