Water quality
Englewood's Lead Service Line Replacement, Explained
Englewood, like many older cities, is working through a multi-year program to replace the remaining lead water service lines, the pipe that carries water from the city main into a home, with copper. Lead service lines were used for decades in older housing and can add lead to drinking water. If your home predates the 1960s, it is worth finding out what your service line is made of, and knowing your options if it is lead. Here is what the program means and what you can do.
What a water service line is
Your home's water service line is the single pipe that runs from the city water main, usually under the street, across your property, and into the house where it meets your indoor plumbing. It is different from the pipes inside your walls; it is the connection between the public system and your home. In much of the country, including older Englewood neighborhoods, that service line was historically made of lead, because lead was durable, easy to bend around obstacles, and standard practice for generations before its health risks were understood.
Englewood runs its own municipal water utility, established in 1903, and like water systems across the country it has been identifying and replacing the lead service lines that remain in its system. The water leaving the treatment plant is treated to reduce how much it interacts with any lead pipe it passes through, but the durable fix, the one being pursued nationally, is to physically replace the lead line with copper.
Why lead service lines matter
Lead is a health concern, particularly for young children and pregnant women, and there is no level of lead exposure considered beneficial. When water sits in contact with a lead pipe, especially warm water or water that has been standing for hours, small amounts of lead can dissolve into it. A lead service line is the largest single source of lead in most homes that have one, larger than older solder or brass fixtures, simply because it is a long run of lead the water passes through on its way in. That is why replacing the service line is the highest-impact step, and why programs nationwide are prioritizing it.
It is worth being measured here rather than alarmed: many older homes do not have lead service lines, treatment reduces the risk in those that do, and the replacement programs are steadily removing them. The right response is to find out what you have and act on the facts, not to panic.
How to find out what your service line is
Ways to check your service line material
- Contact City of Englewood Utilities; water systems maintain service line inventories and can often tell you what is recorded for your address.
- Do the scratch-and-magnet test on the pipe where it enters the house: lead is dull gray, scratches easily to a shiny silver, and a magnet will not stick. Copper is penny-colored; galvanized steel is silver and holds a magnet.
- Have a plumber identify the service line material during any visit; it is a quick check for someone who knows what to look for.
- Check records from any past plumbing work, which may note the material.
The scratch test is genuinely useful and something a homeowner can do in a couple of minutes at the point where the water line enters the home, typically in the basement. If a magnet does not stick and a careful scratch reveals bright silvery metal under a dull gray surface, that points to lead and is worth confirming.
What happens in a replacement
Replacing a service line means installing a new copper (or approved plastic) line from the main to the house in place of the lead one. Depending on the situation this may be a full replacement handled through the city's program, or work coordinated between the utility's portion and the homeowner's portion of the line. Because it involves the buried line across your property, it is more involved than an inside repair, and the specifics, who does which part and how it is funded, depend on the program's current terms, which is a conversation to have with the utility.
If your indoor plumbing is also old, this can be a sensible moment to think about broader work. A home with a lead service line is often a home old enough to have aging galvanized supply pipe inside too, and if you are already investing in the water coming in, a repipe of failing interior lines may be worth planning in the same window. A leak assessment of the incoming line and interior plumbing can inform that decision.
| Material | Look and test | Concern |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | Dull gray, scratches shiny, non-magnetic | Can add lead to water; priority to replace |
| Copper | Penny-brown, non-magnetic | Preferred modern material |
| Galvanized steel | Silver, magnetic | Corrodes and scales; may trap prior lead |
| Plastic (PE) | Black or blue flexible pipe | Modern, no lead concern |
What you can do in the meantime
If you have or suspect a lead service line and are waiting on replacement, a few practical steps reduce exposure. Run the tap until the water turns cold before using it for drinking or cooking, which flushes out water that has been sitting against the pipe. Use cold water for drinking, cooking and making formula, since hot water dissolves more lead. Consider a filter certified to reduce lead for drinking and cooking water. Clean faucet aerators periodically, where debris can collect. None of these replace removing the line, but they lower exposure while the longer-term fix is arranged.
Above all, find out what you have. The homeowners best served by Englewood's replacement program are the ones who know their service line material and have engaged with the utility about it, rather than assuming. It is a short check with a real payoff.
One practical note for older blocks: service line material tends to track with the era a street was built, so if your home is an older one in Englewood or a comparable-age house in nearby Littleton, checking the line is worth doing even before the utility reaches your address. Knowing what you have, rather than waiting to be told, is what lets you plan any related interior work on your own schedule instead of reacting to a notice.
Common questions
What is a water service line?
It is the pipe that carries water from the city main under the street into your home, where it meets your indoor plumbing. It is separate from the pipes in your walls. In older homes this line was sometimes made of lead.
How do I know if my Englewood home has a lead service line?
Contact City of Englewood Utilities, which keeps a service line inventory, or do the scratch-and-magnet test where the line enters the house: lead is dull gray, scratches to bright silver, and is non-magnetic. A plumber can also identify it quickly.
Is the water safe to drink if I have a lead line?
The utility treats the water to reduce how much it interacts with lead pipe, which lowers risk. Still, a lead service line is the largest single lead source in a home that has one, so replacement is the durable fix. In the meantime, run the tap cold before use and use cold water for drinking and cooking.
Who pays to replace the service line?
That depends on the current terms of Englewood's replacement program and how the utility and homeowner portions of the line are handled. It is a conversation to have directly with City of Englewood Utilities for your specific address.
Should I replace my inside pipes too?
If your home is old enough to have a lead service line, its interior galvanized supply pipe may also be aging. If you are already addressing the incoming line, planning a repipe of failing interior pipe in the same window can make sense. A leak assessment helps inform the decision.