You will see that water utility lines are sometimes referred to as "service lines" and sometimes referred to as "service laterals." Here at the City of Roswell, we use the term "service lateral" to represent all water lines in our service area.
There are 2 types of laterals: Public Service Laterals and Private Service Laterals. A public service lateral is the pipe from the water main to the water meter. A private service lateral is the pipe connecting to the meter, and connects to a building's internal plumbing. The City of Roswell is responsible for maintaining the public service lateral, and the property owner is responsible for maintaining the private service lateral.
The Roswell Water Utility will verify all of the service laterals in our service area. The City of Roswell’s Water Utility has no record of using lead-containing materials in our distribution system and service lines. However, some facilities may have private service laterals (lines on the property owners' side) and/or plumbing fixtures with lead-containing materials. Private lateral lines containing lead materials are primarily found in homes constructed before 1950.
You may be able to determine what your line is made of on your own. Private lateral lines typically enter the home in the basement or crawl space. If the pipe is lead, it will have a dull finish that shines brightly when scratched with a key or coin. Using a magnet can also help you identify a lead pipe because even a strong magnet will not cling to lead. If you would like to submit your findings to the Roswell Water Utility, you may do so by completing our water service line material survey form. Please submit a photo with your submittal.
Our program will run through the end of 2024. During that time we will be working our way through each area of the city checking laterals and pipe materials.
Customers will receive a notification letter if their service line material is determined to be lead or galvanized steel or if their service line material is unknown. If you do not receive a notification letter by December 1, 2024 indicating otherwise, then it has been determined that your site has no lead or galvanized service lines (including the customer-owned service line from the meter to the building inlet).
