Over the years there have been many reports on “deals” that our city has made with reservoirs located north of the city and filtration systems that would have cost more than 5 billion dollars to build. In the interim, the general public doesn’t really know what is going on yet we continue to read reports on how safe the water is throughout NYC.
Most homeowners want to know “what else can I do to ensure that my water is safe for drinking?”. Where we cannot guarantee exactly what the city is doing on a larger scale, it is always suggested to start with the smallest of potential issues and work upwards with problems that may fall under your control.
Do you have a lead water main?
This is the million dollar question which many homeowners do not think of, or may not even suspect as a possibility of a problem. In a perfect world the state would guarantee that the fear of contaminated water has been resolved on a large scale with the water that is feeding into our private water lines but what does this mean for individual houses?
If you have a lead water main there is a possibility of lead in your drinking water. The first step is to call your local plumber and have him perform a visual inspection on the pipe from your foundation wall, out to the street,
Water main enters home
It should seconds before the plumber can verify if the pipe is made of lead or not. In the event of a lead pipe it is always suggested to have the pipe upgraded and replaced with “k” grade copper from the foundation wall, out to the street.
There are many pricing variables considered which may differ from one home to the next, if you are interested in understand the process and cost variables you can call Harris Water & Sewer for a free estimate.
Watch our video displaying the water main installation process here
