Highland Park is creating an inventory of all the customer-owned water service lines in our community. The inventory will identify the material of your service line, including whether or not your service line is made of lead. Once Highland Park identifies the lead service lines in our system, we will implement a lead service line replacement program to have them removed, per state law.

Click here for answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Current Program Phase: Lead Service Line Inventory Update

BACKGROUND

In July 2021, the state of New Jersey enacted legislation that requires all water utilities in the state to replace entire lead or galvanized steel service lines in communities they serve. The replacements must be done by 2031, and will decrease the public health risk of lead exposure.

A service line is a pipe that connects the water main in the street to the building. Ownership of the service line varies by water system, but in Highland Park, the service line is owned entirely by the property owner. Almost 80 percent of homes in Highland Park were constructed before 1979. This means they were installed before the 1986 Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, which mandated that new plumbing materials be lead-free, and may have lead or lead-containing service lines. 

Today, lead service lines, lead solder in indoor plumbing, and lead in older plumbing fixtures can cause lead in customers’ drinking water. The Highland Park Water Department purchases treated water from Middlesex Water Company (MWC) to serve our customers. That water leaves the water treatment plant lead free.

MWC also uses corrosion control treatment, minimizing the amount of lead that can go from the lead or lead-containing service line pipes into the water. The Highland Park Water Department regularly tests the water in the system, following state and federal requirements. The current test results have not been above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) lead or copper action levels, per the Lead and Copper Rule. Detailed information about the Borough’s water system and monitoring can be found at New Jersey Drinking Water Watch Portal.

HEALTH RISKS

Exposure to high levels of lead is a serious health risk. Lead builds up in the body over many years and can cause damage to the brain, red blood cells, and kidneys. The greatest risk is to young children, pregnant women, and unborn babies. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection maintains a Lead Exposure Reduction website that provides an overview of New Jersey’s efforts to reduce the presence of lead in drinking water. They have also prepared a Lead Service Line FAQ for Customers. 

LEAD SERVICE LINE INVENTORY

One of the first tasks for the Highland Park Water Department coming out of the new legislation in July 2021, was the preparation of an initial lead service line inventory in January 2022, and then updated in July 2022 for the submission to the NJDEP. The Water Department is continuing to work on refining its inventory, and has established a process for verifying the service line material for the service lines where our records indicate the material is “unknown.”

The map below shows ongoing progress with the Borough's inventory. Keep in mind, the materials listed are based on the best available information and Highland Park cannot guarantee the accuracy. If you feel this information is incorrect, please contact the water department at 732-819-3788.

Gray dot = unknown
Blue dot = non-lead or copper
Green dot = galvanized
Purple dot = lead

A service line replacement program plan was also developed and submitted to the NJDEP. This plan provides for the ongoing materials verification efforts by the Borough and strategies to replace all lead and galvanized service lines by 2031.

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