Seminole County responds to the impact of Hurricane Milton. Learn More
Seminole County Utilities is committed to providing our customers with clean and safe drinking water. Part of this commitment is following the rules and regulations passed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).
While the safety of Seminole County’s water has not changed, the EPA did change its Lead and Copper Rule in 2021. The revised rule requires that all public water service providers, including Seminole County Utilities, provide an inventory of all water service line materials in their service area and make it available to the public. The County is proactively reaching out to households to make sure homeowners have safe service lines.
Seminole County Utilities is doing a material inventory of all water service lines to comply with the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR). The rule goes into effect on October 16, 2024. A water service line is the pipe that carries water from the County’s distribution main (large pipes usually located in the street) to where it enters the home. Our inventory will include the part of the service line owned by Seminole County (between the water main and the property line or water meter) and the part owned by the property owner (between the property line or water meter and where the service line enters the home or building). Seminole County Utilities is planning to physically verify the material type about 12 – 18 inches from the water meter on the customer-owned portion of the service line.
As part of the LCRR, the inventory requires all service lines (both the County-owned portion and the customer-owned portion) to have their material identified as lead, galvanized steel requiring replacement, non-lead, or unknown. Most water service lines in Florida are plastic, but a small number could be galvanized steel, copper, brass, cast iron, lead, or ductile iron.
Seminole County is proactively creating an initial service line material inventory for Seminole County Utilities customers only. Those with city or private utility providers will not be included in the map. The map will be posted on the County website by October 16, 2024. At that time, you will be able to look up your service line material.
Seminole County Utilities encourages public participation in completing the water service line inventory through the self-report form below. This form is for the customers If you who have completed a replacement of the customer-owned side of the water your service line (refer to the graphic above for ownership details), and know the material of the newly installed service line (i.e. PVC, blue pipe, etc.), please submit this information to us using the survey link below.)
You are encouraged to attach a photo of either your receipt of replacement service or a photo of the replaced service line itself, if available.
Florida banned the use of lead in water systems in January 1989. However, many service lines have unknown materials and may require digging at the property line to identify the material. Older homes and buildings, especially those built before January 1989, may still have a lead service line and/or internal plumbing and fixtures with lead.
If your home was built after January 1989, you DO NOT have a lead water service line.
If your home was built before January 1989, it is unlikely, but you may have a lead service line. Seminole County does not expect lead service lines in our system, but the County wants to make sure.
EPA released the Lead and Copper Rule in 1991 to protect people from lead in drinking water. The U.S. EPA released Lead and Copper Rule Revisions on October 16, 2021, which aim to better protect children and communities at risk for lead exposure. Water utilities must comply with the revised rule by October 16, 2024. This includes the development of a materials inventory providing the material on both the County- and customer-owned of the service line.
The EPA released draft improvements to the revisions in late 2023, which includes the requirement to replace all lead service lines within 10 years from when the Rule takes effect. However, the improvements are not final and in regulation yet. They are expected to be final in late 2024.
