Water Service Line Inventory

Service Line Inventory Project

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated a nation-wide assessment of drinking water systems, and Oconee County has launched a community-wide project to identify what every service line (i.e., pipe that brings water to your home) in our system is made of. Lines can be made of lead, plastic, brass, steel or iron. Lead pipes are the primary source of lead in drinking water. Identifying any lead service lines is critical to removing this source of lead from our community. Lead does not occur naturally in the county's source waters and Oconee County does not use lead service lines. In addition, Oconee County Water continues to meet or exceed all drinking water standards. To date, no service lines on the customer side have been found to contain lead. Check your address below to find confirm that service lines leading to your structure are non-lead.

Oconee County Government is conducting an inventory of water service lines in our county.

Service Line Inventory Project

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is mandating a nation-wide assessment of drinking water systems, and Oconee County has launched a community-wide project to identify what every service line (i.e., pipe that brings water to your home) in our system is made of. Lines can be made of lead, plastic, brass, steel or iron. Lead pipes are the primary source of lead in drinking water. Identifying any lead service lines is critical to removing this source of lead from our community.

Does Oconee County Water Resources maintain any service lines containing lead?

No. The service lines the county maintains are those that run from the water main to the meter box on the owner’s property. Oconee County Water Resources does not maintain any lead service lines.

The purpose of this inventory is to determine the materials used in water pipes owned by individual structures that were placed by the builder. These are the lines that run from the meter box to the house or other structure.

How is the service line material data being gathered?

We are using several methods to help identify customer service line material type, including a review of existing records. The use of lead pipes were prohibited in 1986. The Environmental Protection Division (EPD) allows utilities to assume that pipes installed after January 1, 1990, are lead-free.

For houses and other structures built prior to January 1, 1990, we will conduct inspections of service lines at the meter box. This work will be done as part of GPS mapping of all meter boxes in the county by SUBURBAN CONSULTING ENGINEERS, INC., beginning in June 2024.

What Happens Next?

The results of the Service Line Inventory will be available here once the Inventory is complete. A hard copy of the inventory will also be available at the Oconee County Administrative Building, located at 7635 Macon Highway, Watkinsville.

A Town Hall discussing the Service Line Inventory will be held in October 2024 at the Oconee County Administrative Building. The public is invited to attend a presentation reviewing the Service Line Inventory process and results and ask any question they may have.

What if I Have a Well?

The Georgia Department of Public Health recommends a chemical screening (W33C) of private wells every three years. This chemical screening, which is recommended in addition to annual bacterial testing, includes a test for lead.

Private Well Chemical Tests (W33C) are available through local testing providers.