What You Need to Know - Summary

California banned lead service lines in 1986. The ban prohibits the use of lead in pipes, plumbing fittings and fixtures. The ban covers both public water systems and residential plumbing. The City conducted an inventory of all its water distribution system service lines. We confirmed that the City has no lead service lines or galvanized service lines that need replacement.

Lead Service Line Inventory

The City of Sunnyvale has confirmed that its water distribution system contains no lead service lines or galvanized service lines requiring replacement. This finding comes as part of a regulatory requirement by the California State Water Resources Control Board, in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, mandating water systems to inventory all service lines to ensure they are lead-free.

Regulation Overview

Lead service lines were banned in California in 1986 when the State passed Assembly Bill 1953, which prohibited the use of pipes, plumbing fittings, and fixtures that were not lead-free in both public water systems and residential plumbing. The State Water Resources Control Board, in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, enforces regulations to minimize lead exposure and ensure service lines installed prior to the ban are lead-free.

As part of these regulations, water systems must prepare and submit an inventory of all water service lines to buildings within their system to the State Water Resources Control Board's Division of Drinking Water (DDW) by Oct. 16, 2024.

Project Workplan

Through completing a historical records review and field investigation of drinking water service lines, the City has determined that within the water distribution system there are no lead water service lines or galvanized water service lines requiring replacement. This includes both the service line owned by the City from the water main in the street to the water meter as well as customer-owned service lines which start at the meter and connect to the building.

The historical records review consisted of all applicable sources of information, including plumbing codes, construction dates, water system records and master plans. In combination with this information, the City used a DDW-approved stratified random sampling method to develop the service line inventory which is documented in the City of Sunnyvale Lead Service Line Inventory Workplan.

• City of Sunnyvale Lead Service Line Inventory Workplan

Stratified Random Sampling involves physically inspecting a randomly selected subset of service lines in the distribution system. The subset is divided into groups based on the installation year of the service lines, with priority given to older homes and periods when lead usage was most common. Stratification allows for a subset of service lines to be more representative of the service lines in the distribution system.

If the investigation of the subset reveals no lead service lines or galvanized service lines requiring replacement, the remaining service lines can be assumed to be lead-free, with a certain degree of confidence.

Lead Service Line Inventory Results

City staff field verified service line materials of 1,150 service lines. No lead service lines or galvanized service lines requiring replacement were identified in the system, and all services are classified as non-lead.

The service line inventory is a live document and the City continues to document service line material information obtained from normal operations, such as service line maintenance or water meter readings, and will update the initial inventory accordingly.

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