Denton households whose private water service lines are listed as lead, galvanized or of unknown material will find a postcard in the mail in November, according to the city's Friday staff report to the City Council.
The notices stem from federal rules. Under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's revised Lead and Copper Rule, public water systems had to finish an inventory of service lines in 2024. After that inventory, the city must send a notice every year to households in any of three categories until the line is replaced or its material is properly identified.
What the categories mean
The report, dated Oct. 23, describes the three groups this way:
- Lead: all or part of the service line is lead. The city says these homes may face a higher risk of lead exposure through drinking water.
- Galvanized requiring replacement: all or part of the line is galvanized. Galvanized pipe can absorb lead if it ever sat downstream of a lead line, and because city records cannot confirm whether that happened, these lines are classified this way as a precaution.
- Unknown: the material could not be confirmed and may be lead or galvanized pipe that needs replacing.
The mailer will tell each household which category its line falls in, list steps to lower the risk of lead exposure, explain how to ask for information or help, including options for a manageable replacement plan, and show how to tell Denton Water Utilities once a line has been replaced so the city can update its records and stop sending notices.
Residents can look up their property on the city's interactive service line map. Anyone who believes their line has been misclassified can ask Water Utilities for an inspection.
