Survey Opens To Help City Update Historic Water Service Line Data

GENEVA, IL — In keeping with state regulations, Geneva officials are looking to update the city's water service line data. To do this, they developed an interactive survey open to residents.

A water service line map and survey, which can be found through the city's website, shows a legend with different materials used for pipes throughout Geneva. Copper is the most prevalent, according to the map. Other materials include lead, ductile iron and cast iron.

Historic data for water service lines have been collected using maintenance records and service inspections, and pipe materials have been verified by visual inspection, officials said in a news release.

Some information on the map may be inaccurate, officials noted, because of limited available data, which they're looking to remedy. By collecting the information from active customers, the city can be in accordance with Illinois Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

To view water service line information on the map, users can enter their address and click the colored dot nearest to the property to see what materials are used. A tab at the top of the page will load a survey.

In order to find what material pipes are made of, residents can either hire a plumber or try an at-home test, which requires using a screwdriver to scratch the outside of a pipe and comparing findings to city-provided photos of different materials.

Residents and business owners can also contact Water Division Superintendent Bob Van Gyseghem to provide information on materials used.