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Water Service Line Inventory 

What material is your water service line? Your water service line is the pipe that runs from the water meter to your home. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires all water utilities to help customers identify the material of their water service line. If your water service line is lead, the District will work with you to replace it. Even if your testing indicates your home does NOT have a lead service line, we still need to know for the benefit of our entire community.

How to Identify Your Water Service Line Material

Your water service line material is either galvanized steel, copper, plastic, or lead. Grab the following items, follow these steps, and then complete the online survey. 

What you will need to find out the material of your water service line:

  • Refrigerator magnet
  • Coin or screwdriver
  • Phone 

Step 1. Locate your Water Service Line 

Your water service line will usually enter your home through a crawlspace or garage. If you are unable to locate it, contact the District at 530-544-6474.

The District has staff available during the summer of 2025 to meet you at your property and assist with determining the material of your water service line. If you would like District staff to assist you, please add yourself to our waiting list by clicking here and completing the form. If you are unable to complete the form, contact the District at 530-544-6474 and our staff can add you to the waiting list.

Step 2. Scratch Test

Find a spot on the water service line closest to the wall or floor where it enters, and before it connects to a valve or your home plumbing. Use a screwdriver or coin to scratch lightly (like you would a lottery ticket). What color is it? 

  • If your pipe is plastic, it will be white, black, blue or green, and not change colors when you scratch it. 
  • If your pipe is galvanized, the scraped area remains a dull gray, and is hard to scratch.
  • If your pipe is copper, the scraped area will look like a penny.
  • If your pipe is lead, the scraped area is shiny and silver, and it was easy to scratch.

Step 3. Magnet Test

Place a refrigerator magnet on the pipe. Does it stick?

  • If your pipe is plastic, copper, or lead, the magnet will NOT stick.
  • If your pipe is galvanized, the magnet WILL stick. 

Step 4. Take a Picture

Take a picture of where you performed the scratch and magnet test. 

Step 5. Complete Survey

Fill out the online survey at stpud.watersmart.com/WaterLineSurvey

Image showing tests for identifying lead, copper, and galvanized pipes via scratch, magnet, and tapping methods.

Stratified Random Sampling

To comply with the Lead and Copper rule, the District submitted a workplan to the California Division of Drinking Water to use stratified random sampling. This means that the unknown water service lines are stratified into tiers based on the date of installation and the number of verifications per tier. The District will field verify 369 random water service lines.  Homes that were selected were contacted in July, 2025, and the District will be verifying the water service line material between August - November, 2025. The project will consist of potholing to the depth of the water service line. If you have questions about this project, please contact Customer Service at cs@stpud.us or 530-544-6474.

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