Bardstown Water to create new database for pipes

Jun 17, 2023

The City of Bardstown Water Company is creating a database of old metal service lines and is asking customers to do a brief survey. Following the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) guidelines, the city is taking steps to eliminate any risk of lead from city water.

Jessica Filiatreau, City Civil Engineer, said this database and its inventory are to simply gather data as a part of keeping up federal and state regulations. She wanted to be clear: the city continues to routinely test and monitor its water and no traces of lead have ever been found. The survey from customers will allow the city to gain knowledge of possible lead or galvanized steel service lines.

“We have been pretty proactive in recent years of trying to replace our aging infrastructure in our downtown areas, especially where there’s the higher possibility,” Filiatreau said. “It’s mainly to maintain water quality because older galvanized lines can leach a little iron and that can create discoloration. (It’s) a very little health risk, but again it is not something that you want to see. … Thankfully, we have not ever found lead water pipes, lead mains, no lead.”

As part of the ongoing inventory, the Bardstown Water Company is asking its customers to complete a quick survey to determine what material their service line is made of. Filiatreau emphasized this is about the main water service line that brings in water to their home and not their overall water system in their home.

This survey and inventory do not affect all homes but rather a few select areas with older homes, as determined by the water company. For a more in-depth look at areas of interest for the survey, residents can visit the City of Bardstown’s website and find more information on the water department’s “Service Line Inventory” page. Filiatreau said customers can enter their own address and find out if their home is in the areas of interest.

“It’s not practical for us to dig up every water line and service line,” she said. “That was the initial purpose of the survey is we have gone through all of our existing records to determine without digging, if there was any information available about the material type of any pipes. … We have gotten with our local plumbing inspector; we’ve gone through historical meter tap and tickets and construction plans for everything. … Those were not questions that ever were required on any plumbing permit, they never had to list what type of material it was. That’s why there’s a lot of unknowns out there.”

The quick survey, which only takes a few minutes, requires customers to locate their main water service pipe and determine what material it is made of. With a quick test of the flathead screwdriver and magnet, customers can determine if their main service line is lead, galvanized steel, plastic or copper, and those with galvanized steel or lead pipes will need to be replaced in the future.

Customers who complete the survey can also get a $5 credit toward their bill. Filiatreau said this inventory from customers saves them time and money from coming and doing the inventory themselves as the labor and time could be spent toward replacing and improving the discovered lines. She emphasized that the city is only responsible for the main water service line and not the pipes in the entire house.

“They could then do their own research and then see what their risks are,” Filiatreau said of lead pipes in the homes. “They could again notify us that they do have lead and then that could be a location that we alter and have become a sampling site for us. We could sample for lead in their home to see what the level is, then develop a game plan for what’s the risk level and go from there. They could make that decision on their own on whether they would want to take further steps.”

Looking forward, those seeking for more information on the service line inventory or about lead in water can visit the water department’s landing page on the City of Bardstown website.