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Even if they’re not made of lead, your old water lines could be a health hazard, and starting this year, many homeowners in Lawrence will be able to get theirs replaced by the city at no cost.

Earlier this week, the City of Lawrence released a report on what it’s doing to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead and Copper Rule. Lead is a neurotoxin, and the EPA’s rule is intended to reduce people’s exposure to it.

The City of Lawrence has almost no lead service lines in its inventory – its report said it had identified just one suspected lead service line. So, instead, it’s focusing on another potentially hazardous type of water line: galvanized pipes.

Galvanized pipes are steel pipes that have been coated in zinc. While they don’t contain any lead themselves, lead particles may be attached to them if they have ever been downstream of a lead pipe, according to the EPA. From there, the lead can gradually enter your drinking water.

The report says the city did a survey in 2024 to determine what local service lines were made of. It gave property owners directions for how they could check their lines, and when the results were analyzed, the city found about 130 galvanized lines that needed replacement. Because the survey only had a 10% response rate, the city estimates there could be between 1,300 and 1,500 such lines across the entire city.

Now, the city is starting the process of replacing those lines with polyethylene ones.

A news release from the city said letters will be going out soon to notify property owners in areas that are likely to have galvanized pipes. If you get one of these letters, you’ll have a 30-day period to complete a survey about the material of your pipes and sign a waiver. If the city determines that your line qualifies, it will then replace the line from the meter to your home at no cost, the release said.

The report says the city may also be contacting property owners by phone or email to set up inspections of their lines.

Based on the results of the previous survey, the areas with the highest concentration of galvanized lines include Massachusetts, Vermont and Ohio streets, the report said.

The city is funding these replacements with about $250,000 a year from its water main replacement funds. (The report said the city isn’t eligible for many federal and state funds, because the EPA doesn’t fund replacements of galvanized lines if it’s unknown whether they were downstream of lead pipes.)

“Property owners who receive a letter are encouraged to act quickly,” the city’s news release said. “Funding for this work is limited by budget year, and replacements will be scheduled based on when responses are received.” If you don’t respond within 30 days, you may no longer qualify for the current round of replacements, the release said.

The city says replacements will be covered by a one-year workmanship warranty.

If your line is replaced, the city’s report said, lead levels in your water may be temporarily higher after the work is done because of the disturbance to the pipes. The city will provide instructions for flushing your line and a filter that you can use for your drinking water.

Between three and six months after the replacement, the city will also test your water and notify you of the results.

The city has more resources on its website at lawrenceks.gov/mso/h2o-lead-awareness. Here you can find a guide on how to determine what your line is made of, with pictures for reference, and documents with more details on the galvanized line replacement program.