Service Line Inventory
Hopefully all of our members received a letter and survey from us regarding the material used to plumb their home and to bring the water from the meter into their home. As a public water system we are required by the Environmental Protection Agency to take this inventory. There are more answers to questions you may have below, but we thank you very much for you time and help getting this inventory accomplished. Below are links to where the survey can be taken online as well as the forms that were sent out.
Water Service Line Inventory Survey Online
Letter sent to describe survey
Questions About the Survey
What is a service line?The service line is what connects the RWD water main to the customer's home and goes throughout the customer's home. The service line from the main to the meter can is the district's responsibility. The service line from the meter can into the customer's house is the customer's responsibility. This survey is about the customer's portion of the service line and the plumbing inside the residence.
What is the "Building Primary Water Plumbing Material" and "Building Secondary Water Plumbing Material"?
This question is referring to the member's interior plumbing. The primary material is the most common and the secondary is the second most common. This question is to account for updates or remodels or whatever would cause more than one type to be used. If it is all the same, then please put the same answer from primary and secondary.Lead & Copper Questions and Answers
Why is this survey being required?
It is a reaction to the issues in Flint, Michigan and the nation-wide goal is to help make sure that people are not drinking water with lead and copper in it. This is a revision to an existing rule for public water utilities.
Why is there lead and copper in drinking water?
The issue with lead and copper comes from the pipes, fittings, and the way that the pipes are put together. Let's call that the transmission system. If water is corrosive (even at a safe level) then it can pull lead and copper from the transmission system into the water. Part of the transmission system is owned by the District and part is owned by you. Anything after the water meter is owned by you and the object of the survey. The District's portion of the transmission system is nearly 100% PVC, which has no lead or copper in it.
Is the RWD#3 an "at risk" water supplier?
At the RWD#3 we already take 20 samples every three years looking for any issues that our members might have with lead or copper in their water. This is the lowest tier of testing because we do not have issues with lead getting into our water. This is partly because of our system material, but it is more so because of the quality of our water. The city of Wichita, our water supplier, does many, many samples throughout their system and their "worst" samples are not even close to the action level. Even more to the point, the water they supply is not corrosive, has good alkalinity, and good pH. The water is actually the opposite of corrosive, meaning it is more likely to leave scale deposits than to corrode the transmission system.
If you have more questions please give is a call at 316-777-0877 or email us at scrwd3@gmail.com. We would be happy to hear from you and help you be confident in our water and in this process.