City of Okmulgee water customers will soon notice an important insert arriving with their monthly utility bills.

The insert is an annual notice required under new federal regulations aimed at improving water safety and identifying potential lead and copper service lines.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently enacted updated rules mandating that every water utility in the United States develop and maintain a complete inventory of all service line materials throughout their system. This includes documenting both the utility’s portion of the service line and the customer-owned portion that runs from the meter to the home or business.

Under the EPA rule, each service line must be categorized as lead, galvanized, non-lead or “unknown material.” Utilities are required to notify customers each year if their service line is listed as either lead or unknown.

City officials stress that this notice is not the result of any detected danger in the water system.

“These letters are not in response to a specific danger detected in your water, but are a national requirement for water utilities,” the city stated. “Our regular testing has consistently shown safe results – below regulated contaminant levels or undetected.”

— What Customers Can Expect 1. No Letter? Your Line Is Documented as Non-Lead Residents who do not receive a letter with their bill can be assured their service line has been verified as non-lead, or that their property was built after Oklahoma’s 1987 ban on lead service materials.

“If you do not receive a letter, it is because it has been determined that you do not, nor have ever had lead connected to your line,” the notice explains.

2. “Lead Status Unknown” Letter

A large portion of the system includes older homes where the material on either the customer or utility side – or both remains uncertain.

A “Lead Status Unknown” letter indicates that the city has not yet been able to confirm the materials used.

The City encourages these customers to complete a short online survey to help fill in the gaps in their inventory: www.okmulgeeonline. com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=74 “This survey will help the utility to identify service types and remove unknowns from the inventory,” the notice says.

3. “Lead” Letter

Some customers will receive a “Lead” letter, meaning the City has previously identified a lead component on the service line.

When lead is found on the utility side of the meter, crews immediately remove and replace it. However, because the City cannot verify the customer-owned portion without further information, the service line must still be labeled as a “lead line” under federal rules.

The online survey can also help the City determine whether the property should continue to be classified this way.

While the inventory is still in progress, officials emphasize that existing treatment and monitoring practices continue to keep drinking water safe.

— Corrosion Control The utility uses a treatment process that adjusts water pH and adds protective coatings inside the pipes.

These methods help prevent lead from dissolving into the water and reduce the likelihood of metal exposure from older plumbing.

— Regular Testing

Okmulgee conducts annual and semi-annual water quality tests at multiple locations across the system. All sampling is performed by a third-party laboratory.

“To this date, our testing has shown safe results, meaning below regulated contaminant levels or undetected,” the City reports.

Under the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revision, all water systems must not only build a service line inventory but also notify affected customers every year until the line is confirmed non-lead. Any line labeled “unknown” must be actively reviewed and verified.

The City says the inventory is “a work in progress” and will continue to evolve as new information is collected.

Residents who receive a “Lead” or “Unknown” notice are encouraged to:

• Review the letter carefully

• Complete the online material survey

• Contact the City Utility Department with questions Community participation is key to completing this multi-year inventory and ensuring accurate reporting to federal regulators. For more information, visit www.okmulgeeonline. com/CivicAlerts. aspx?AID=74.