Dayton officials say the city constantly monitors water treatment processes and provides corrosion control that places a protective coating on the water pipes that reduces the possibility of lead exposure from the public drinking water.
“We don’t have a lead problem because of the way we treat our water,” said Keshia Kinney, acting director of Dayton’s water department.
The city says it is responsible for the public part of water service lines, and property owners are responsible for the private portions, from the property line into the structure.
Dayton’s public water system also serves hundreds of thousands of residents in Montgomery and Greene counties. According to the city’s 2023 water quality report, samples collected in the water distribution system show that 90% of the samples tested contained less than 3 parts per billion of lead.
Lead service lines
Dayton last year asked residents, businesses and property owners to use a magnet or conduct a scratch test to find out if their water service lines are made out of lead, copper, galvanized steel or plastic.
Dayton received about 1,000 responses, which were used to create a predictive model that estimates the prevalence of lead and galvanized lines in the city’s water system.
About 9,920 of the 64,720 water service lines in the city’s system contain these materials (15%), according to city estimates. Lead and steel lines can be found all across the city, but on a small number of blocks, many homes have these kinds of pipes.
The Biden administration updated federal regulations for lead and copper. The final rule, greenlit last fall, will require cities to replace their lead service lines in 10 years. This mandate is set to take effect in November 2027.
Two Ohio lawmakers, too, have proposed legislation that would require all lead service lines in Ohio to be replaced within 15 years of the bill’s effective date, removing the possibility of cities seeking federal extensions. This undertaking would come with a $5 billion price tag, state representatives estimate.
Director Kinney said it’s unclear how much it could cost to replace all the lead and galvanized steel lines in the city, likely with copper connections. Dayton officials say the city is developing a funding plan for replacement.
Each service line replacement can cost thousands of dollars.
Lead remediation has advantages. A 2024 study by the Ohio Environmental Council estimated that every dollar invested in the complete removal of lead pipes would return $32 to $45 in public health and economic benefits. That study also estimates that a successful program would enhance Ohio’s economy by $145 billion to $185 billion over the next 15 years.
The city has mailed out letters to property owners providing notice that their homes or buildings have lead service lines.
The letters say, “Dayton’s drinking water does not contain lead, however those with lead service lines on their property could be exposed to lead.”
The letters say the private side of the lines are owned by the property owners, and they are responsible for replacement costs. “The city of Dayton strongly advises that you contact a licensed plumber for work on your service line,” the letters state.
The city also still encourages residents, businesses and property owners to self-identify what their water lines are made out of, and upload that information to servicelinecompliance.com.
“We encourage all residents within the city to identify their service lines and upload this information to our website,” Kinney said. “As we gather more information, we improve the predictive model and the Service Line Inventory map.”
When it comes to the tests, magnets only stick to steel and do not stick to lead or copper. Lead is dull and soft and turns a shiny silver color when scratched.
