Live in Newport, Minn.? If so, we’ve got news: there’s a water and meter line survey the city needs you to complete ASAP, the survey aim being to help Newport with a service line inventory required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) following lead and copper rule revisions from 2021.
Included in the survey, available online as well as paper form, are questions pertaining to address, first and last name, email and phone contact, and (not to be left out) what type of pipe exists at the given address for water and meter line. A photo of the meter with both sides of the home connection is required to be submitted with the survey.
If a need for help is indicated on the survey, city staff may call to schedule a good time for inspection. Residential water service lines are most commonly located in the basement utility room and coming from the street along the wall or floor, with the meter line leading to inside plumbing.
As for potential line materials, they include copper, ductile iron pipe, galvanized pipe, lead, and plastic. Helping verify what each address in the city has (specifically with relation to the presence of lead) has the potential to help the city with receiving funding available to address said issue, pending survey completion.
Should no survey be received, it could mean door knocking by city staff to gather the needed information.