Notice of Unknown Service Line

Notice of Unknown Service Line Material
This notice is being provided only to those locations with a service line that has been classified as being made of unknown material. This type of line is referred to as a line with Unknown Service Line Material.

Agassiz Water Users District (AWUD) is focused on protecting the health of every household in our community. This notice contains important information about your drinking water. Please share this information with anyone who drinks and/or cooks using water at this property. This includes: any residents in apartments, staff and patients in nursing homes, students and staff in schools, employees and customers in businesses and parents or guardians and children at daycare facilities who would be likely to drink the water at this site of location.

If you are aware of non-English speaking individuals who need help with the appropriate language translation, please contact: AWUD by calling (701) 869-2690 between and 8 AM and 4 PM.

What is a service line? A service line is the pipe connection the water main to the interior plumbing in a building. The entire service line may be owned by either the water system or property owner, or ownership may be split between the water system and the property owner.

AWUD is currently working and will continue to work to identify service line materials throughout the water system. The material making up the water pipe (called a service line) that connects your structure to the water main has not yet been specifically identified and is currently classified as unknown material but may be lead. Because your service line material is unknown, there is a potential that some or all of the service line could be made of lead or galvanized pipe that was previously connected to lead. People living in homes with a lead or galvanized pipe previously connected to a lead service line have an increased risk of exposure to lead from their drinking water.

Identifying Service Line Material
To help determine the material your service line is made from, please contact AWUD by calling (701) 869-2690 between 8 AM and 4 PM. EPA has developed an online step by step guide to help people identify lead pipes in their structures called Protect Your Tap: A Quick Check for Lead.

http://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/protect-your-tap-quick-check-lead-0

Health Effects of Lead
Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavior problems or worsen existing learning and behavior problems. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or during
pregnancy can have increased risk of these negative health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney, or nervous system problems.

***Please complete this as soon as possible. If you do not complete the
information, you will continue to receive notice until you have completed
the survey.

Steps You Can Take To Reduce Lead In Drinking Water
Below are recommended actions that you may take, separately or in combination, if you are concerned about lead in your drinking water. The list also includes where you may find more information and is not intended to be a complete list or to imply that all actions equally reduce lead in drinking water.

Clean Your Aerator: Regularly remove and clean your faucet’s screen (also known as aerator). Sediment, debris and lead particles can collect in your aerator. If lead particles are caught in the aerator, lead can get into your water.
Use Cold Water: Do not use hot water from the tap for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula as lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Boiling water does not remove lead from water.
Run Your Water to Flush Out Lead: Before drinking, flush your home’s pipes by running the tap, taking a shower, doing laundry or doing a load of dishes. The more time water has been sitting in pipes providing water to your home, the more lead it may contain. The amount of time to run the water will depend on whether your home
has a lead service line or not, the length and diameter of the service line and the amount of pluming in your home.

Should you want to sample the tap at this location for lead because you have received this notice, contact your local public water system for assistance in selection of a certified laboratory. Supplies will be sent directly to your location. There may be a cost to you for this sampling. Carefully read the instructions provided with the text kit.
Different kits have different procedures. The sample must be taken from a kitchen or bathroom tap that is used daily. The test requires a sample of water that has been sitting in the household pluming for no less than 6 but no more than 18 hours. Once the sample is collected, you will promptly ship the sample back to the laboratory. The
laboratory will then send the sample results directly to you.

For more information on sources of lead that include service lines and interior plumbing, please visit

http://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking#getinfo

Use Your Filter Properly: Using a filter can recuse lead in drinking water. If you use a filter, it should be certified to remove lead. Read any directions provided with the filter to learn how to properly install, maintain, and use your cartridge and when to replace it. Using the cartridge after it has expired can make it less effective at removing lead. Do not run hot water through the filter. For more information on facts and advice on home water filtration systems, visit EPA’s website at
http://www.epa.gov/water-research/consumer-tool-identyfing-point-use-and-pitcher-filters-certified-reduce-lead

Consider consulting your healthcare provider. If you are concerned about the health effects of lead, a family doctor or pediatrician can determine which actions are necessary, whether it is necessary to perform a blood test for lead, and can provide more information about your health.

For more information and links to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention CDC’s website, please visit

http://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water

For more information on reducing lead exposure from your drinking water and the health effects of lead, visit EPA’s website at http://www.epa.gov/lead