Tisbury Water Works sends notice on lead pipes

Tisbury Water Works, in collaboration with the state, is trying to get a sense of how many homes may have lead pipes. 

Earlier this month, in compliance with new Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection regulations, Tisbury Water Works issued a drinking water notice to roughly 1,800 homes in an effort to take inventory of water service systems for potential statewide replacements in the future.

For those receiving the notice, it’s an indication from MassDEP that there is either lead in the service pipes connecting to the resident’s home, the home has galvanized piping, or it’s unknown what the pipes are made of. 

James Cleary, the Tisbury water superintendent, said that Tisbury’s records are more up-to-date than the state’s, and only a small portion of homes will likely discover lead in their pipes. 

 “The pipes are most likely going to be made of copper or plastic, but since it’s unknown in MassDEP records, the letter still has to be sent,” said Cleary. 

Although no amount of lead in water is considered safe, Tisbury Water Works clarified in an additional letter sent to residents that there is no lead in the town’s water supply, and corrosion control treatment in accordance with MassDEP regulations is being used to prevent lead from leaching out of pipes into water. 

Tisbury passed a regulation that requires homeowners selling their property to replace any existing lead water service lines. Part of the regulation — aside from ensuring safe drinking water — was to get an accounting of the amount of residents that may have lead pipes, as discussed at health board meetings last year.

According to the notice that went out to homeowners, until resident service lines are confirmed to not house any lead, or all lead is removed, in order to minimize potential lead in drinking water, residents should run their faucets for at least a minute after extended periods of non-use, regularly clean their faucet aerators, use only lead-removing filters approved by the National Science Foundation, and only drink and cook with cold, clean water. Boiling water also does not remove lead. 

Households with children are especially at risk, and are encouraged to test their children’s blood, as they are more susceptible to lead’s harmful effects. For houses to be sold, sellers must confirm with Tisbury Water Works that they have no lead in their pipes. 

With no immediate action required to be taken by residents, regardless of having lead pipe or not, they were asked to complete self-assessments, to send photos and answer questions through a QR code provided in the letter, to identify the material of their pipes. 

Tisbury Water Works is working on developing a replacement plan that will be implemented within the next five years.