What is Medford Water doing to find the lead pigtails?

• March 28, 2024 |

In June 2016, Medford Water crews began investigating all meter boxes served by water mains installed before 1946 (Click here to see a map). We believe lead pipes were not used in our system after World War II, and the pigtails we found date to the early 1900s.

While we can’t see lead pipes at the meter box, our experience indicates that the lead pigtails in our system are usually connected to galvanized pipes. Our crews have checked each meter box within the search area to see whether the service line is a galvanized or copper pipe.

If a galvanized pipe was found at the meter box, customers were notified that they could have a lead service line and we would be investigating further. We would then dig a hole in the street where the service line connects to the meter, enabling us to see whether there is a lead pigtail underground. If we found a lead pigtail, we offered to test the customer’s water for lead and replaced the lead with a new copper service line.