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soulorbiter t1_j2u6vta wrote

Reply to comment by hurricanetruther in Do you guys drink the water from the facet ? by tryhardwhore

Seconded. Replacing a lead service line is an expensive job, so unless your house has been extensively updated (or is newer), you likely have at least a lead service line, if not other lead pipes in your house. If you have access to your service line where you live (e.g. you have access to the basement), it's simple to check if that pipe is lead. You can get a free lead water testing kit from Providence Water if you'd like to test it. For what it's worth, a Providence Water employee told me that the city water is safe to drink if you don't have lead pipes in your house.

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iandavid t1_j2uj8cg wrote

Replacing a lead service line can be expensive, but Providence Water will share the cost (i.e. they’ll cover the cost of the part in the street up to the property line) and they offer a 10-year, zero-interest loan for the part on your property.

The wait list is long but it’s worth doing. Info here: https://provwater.com/water_quality/lead-center/wslinformation

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beta_vulgaris t1_j2ukxoh wrote

This is free in some neighborhoods! Mine was replaced last fall at no cost to me.

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soulorbiter t1_j2v0g9g wrote

The street part is called the water main, and that is 100% the responsibility of the city. The part on your property is called the "service line" and that is 100% the home owner's responsibility. So, there actually is no cost sharing. A zero interest loan is a decent offer, but you're still paying to have the service line replaced.

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iandavid t1_j2v2g3x wrote

The service line is the pipe that extends from the water main to the building. Some of that distance is under the street / sidewalk and is owned by the city, and some of it is under the owner’s property and is owned by them.

When I had my service line replaced, Providence Water calculated the length of the pipe that fell on either side of the property line. They paid the contractor the full amount to do the replacement, and then set up a loan for the amount I owe them for the part that’s on my property. Ergo, we shared the cost of the replacement.

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GotenRocko t1_j2xdz3x wrote

That's not correct, the service line has a private side and city side. It changes at the curb stop which is in the side walk. When they replace a water main or do what is called a clean and line, they will also replace all the lead lines on the street but only the city side. I believe now though they are replacing both sides when they are doing other water main work.

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