Lead Service Line Inventory

The City of Sonoma is committed to providing safe drinking water to all its customers by following all Federal and State regulations. The State Water Resource Control Board, in alignment with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), enforces the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). The US EPA recently made changes to the LCR with the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR).

To ensure public water systems are reducing lead exposure to their customers, the US EPA is requiring all large public water purveyors to complete an Initial Lead Service Line Inventory (Initial LSL Inventory). The objective of the Initial LSL Inventory is to determine if there are any lead pipes in the water distribution system on both the public and customer (private) portions. This inventory must be completed and submitted by October 16, 2024.

The City has completed the Initial Lead Service Line Inventory and has met the October 2024 deadline. Results from the Initial LSL Inventory can be found on the interactive map and list below.

Find lead service line results for a specific address

Have questions about your address? Use this interactive map to search an address or view the inventory list and see the results of the Initial Lead Service Line Inventory. If you have any questions about this inventory, please contact City of Sonoma at (707) 938-3332 or publicworks@sonomacity.org.

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Service Line Notices

As a standard next step, many of the City of Sonoma’s water customers will soon receive a notice in the mail indicating that their service line has been identified as:

  1. “Unknown Material” - will need further inspection. View/Download a copy of this notice (coming soon).
  2. “GRR” - galvanized iron requiring replacement. View/Download a copy of this notice (coming soon).

Please keep in mind that:

  • This is not an emergency.
  • Your water is safe to drink and meets federal and state safe drinking water standards.
  • You do not need to use an alternative water supply (e.g., bottled water).

For water customers who receive the “unknown material” notice, there are two options: either wait for the City’s inspection or opt to self-identify your line’s material by following steps provided below in the FAQ section of this webpage. In either case, our team will be in touch to ensure your line is properly documented and, if necessary, to arrange any additional follow-up.

Water customers whose lines have been identified as “GRR” will receive a separate notice outlining a program available to assist with any necessary replacement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Water Service Line? 

The water service line is the pipe infrastructure that supplies water from the City’s main to the customer’s building. This line begins at the main connection and connects to the building inlet. The City operates and maintains the pipe from the main up to and including the water meter. The customer’s responsibility begins after the water meter and all the pipe downstream going towards the home. These water service lines can be made up of several materials such as lead, galvanized steel, copper, or polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

A diagram with showing a water service line that runs from the street to a water meter and then to a residence.

Who is responsible for maintaining water service lines?

The City of Sonoma is responsible for the public portion of the service lines (the pipes that go from the main line to your water meter) and property owners are responsible for the portion that goes from water meter to the home or building on the property.

Why are we checking/taking inventory of water service lines?

The water service line inventory is part of a national effort to ensure public water systems are reducing lead exposure to their customers. The U.S. EPA requires all large public water purveyors to complete a Lead Service Line Inventory (LSL Inventory). The objective of the LSL Inventory is to determine if there are any lead pipes in the water distribution system on both the public and customer (private) portions.
Sonoma’s drinking water is very low risk for lead contamination. Sonoma’s customer water service pipes are typically copper or plastic with a few older homes having galvanized iron. The City of Sonoma has standards that require copper or galvanized iron service lines to be installed on the City side of the meter, and in 1986 there was a federal ban on lead pipes that required all new household plumbing fixtures be lead-free.

How is the inventory conducted?

The City of Sonoma is gathering information about service line material while installing new water meters as part of the in-progress Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project.

A map showing up-to-date identification of all water services is located on the Lead Service Line Inventory webpage.

In addition to field inspections, data from existing records, utility maps, historical ordinances/construction requirements, statistical analysis, and other approved methods to determine the type of materials in the water service lines from the main line to the meter box and from the meter box to the building inlet are used to create a comprehensive inventory.

What does it mean if I receive a notice that my service line is made of “unknown material”?

View/Download the notice (coming soon) to learn more and explore next steps.

What does it mean if I receive a notice that my service line is “GRR”?

When the City of Sonoma performed site inspections, we found that your water service from the meter to your home to be galvanized iron. Galvanized iron is a material that has the potential to absorb lead over time.

We currently do not have any city-owned lead water services within the City of Sonoma. Records show that all city-owned water services installed after the adoption of current standards were of a material other than lead, but for water services installed prior, these services are not guaranteed to be non-lead. Because we cannot guarantee the city-owned portion of the service was never lead, your water service is categorized as “Galvanized Requiring Replacement” and your water service line will need to be replaced.

Currently, the EPA and California Department of Drinking Water are working on guidelines to inform and assist homeowners on the replacement of these galvanized iron services. We are currently working on the City of Sonoma’s GRR program to ensure that homeowners have all the relevant information, guidance and potential financial assistance to help homeowners through the process of replacing their galvanized iron service lines.

View/Download the notice (coming soon) learn more and explore next steps.

What happens if my service line is identified as “Non-Lead”?

There will be no further correspondence sent to properties that have service lines identified as non-lead.

Does the City of Sonoma have lead in its drinking water?

Historically, no lead piping has been found by city employees throughout the course of installation, replacement, inspections and upgrades to the city’s water system.

How do I know whether my drinking water contains lead?

Several factors can be considered to determine whether your plumbing contains lead. Because it is colorless and tasteless, lead is not readily apparent in water. In 1986, the use of plumbing materials and fixtures with lead was banned in California. Therefore, homes built after 1986 do not have lead service lines due to changes in the building code. Additionally, homes that have been replumbed will not contain lead.

What about commercial businesses?

While the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions primarily focus on residences, schools, and daycare centers, commercial businesses and business centers with service lines less than two inches are also included in the service line inventory.
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