PWSA has a map for that

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

An online map attempting to identify lead service lines now features thousands more properties, the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority said Wednesday.

PWSA has just bolstered the searchable map at www.pgh2o.com/leadmap to include details from 20,902 properties, most of them residential. The update incorporates historical data from more than 120,000 paper records, many over a century old, PWSA said.

“Most of the records were created at the time of original construction and do not reflect current conditions,” the utility said in a statement. Still, “the newly available information will help customers make informed decisions about their tap water.”

The map already listed findings from some 5,000 recent curb-box inspections, which check underground water connections to see what they’re made of.

A service line supplies water from the main to each building in PWSA’s drinking-water area. Of some 71,000 residential service connections, the authority estimates about 18,000 contain lead. It’s under a state order to replace at least 7 percent of its lead service lines a year.

The metal — when ingested — is tied to child development problems and other ailments. PWSA plans to replace some 2,100 residential service lines by year’s end.

“The safety of our water is our No. 1 priority, and we’re particularly concerned about pregnant women and young children who are most at risk for lead exposure,” said Robert Weimar, the PWSA interim executive director, in a statement.

Free lead test kits for PWSA customers are available through http:// pgh2o.com/lead-testingkits. If records indicate a lead line may serve a particular property, the affected customers should run their taps for a few minutes before using water for cooking or drinking, the authority said. Certified lead filters are available through hardware and big-box stores.

PWSA said it’ll continue adding information to the interactive map. Under an agreement with the state Department of Environmental Protection, the authority must finish documenting all residential lead service lines by 2020 — and commercial and other lead service lines by 2022. PWSA counts about 10,000 commercial and other non-residential customers for drinking water.