Glens Falls Waterline Inventory
As of October 16th, 2024, Glens Falls – along with every municipal water utility across the country – has to comply with a federal EPA mandate to compile a 100% inventory of the water and sewer lines. This waterline inventory will be used to identify and replace both public and private lead pipes. Homeowners and property owners can perform the check themselves; however, those who do not perform the check will be contacted by their water system operators, to notify them of the requirements of the federal program and arrange for an inspection if needed.
Bill Norton is the superintendent of the Water and Sewer Division for the City of Glens Falls, which is located at 2 Shermantown Road. Norton oversees the drinking water, sanitary sewer system, and storm system for the City of Glens Falls. The water and sewer systems operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. The Water and Sewer Division complies with regulations from both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
The City of Glens Falls has the capacity for 8.5 million gallons of water a day, but only uses about 2 million gallons of water a day for the roughly 5,000 customers. There are four reservoirs that supply the drinking water for the City of Glens Falls.
“The water goes through the distribution system, which is all of the valves and pipes and different sized mains… The smallest is about four inches, and the largest is about 20 inches. The water goes through the distribution system and into each home. It’s not as easy as just turning on your faucet… There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into bringing you your water,” Norton said.
Nationwide, 10-million American households connect to water through lead pipes and service lines… Exposure to lead can lower IQ, cause impairment of neurological development, and damage the cardiovascular system, reproductive system, brain, liver, and kidneys.
Every municipal water provider must comply with this federal mandate and provide a comprehensive inventory by October 16th, 2024. The City of Glens Falls does have records regarding the pipes, but needs public assistance in identifying the pipes that go from the curb to the house: “We are asking people to participate in identifying their pipes so that we can comply with the EPA regulations. The EPA requires 100% of the information, and we have a long way to go… Right now, we are doing the inventory and if we find any lead we notify the EPA. We have about 85% of the information on the city side, and about 40-45% on the homeowners side,” Norton said.
Residents of Glens Falls will receive information in the mail regarding the water service line inventory and steps to take to submit the information to the city. For more information about the service line inventory, please visit warrencountyny.gov