Lead and Galvanized Water Service Lines in Westfield, NJ: What the 2031 Deadline Means

The water service line is the pipe that carries water from the street main into your home. In older Westfield homes — and roughly 37 to 40% of the town’s houses pre-date 1940 — that line may be made of lead or galvanized steel. New Jersey now has a hard deadline to get the lead out, and there is a utility program running in Westfield to help. Here is what it means for you.

What the 2031 deadline actually requires

A 2021 New Jersey law requires that every lead service line in the state be replaced by 2031. This is a statewide mandate, and water utilities are responsible for driving the replacement program. In Westfield, New Jersey American Water is the utility running the effort, inventorying service-line materials and replacing lead and galvanized customer-side lines on a rolling basis.

Why lead and old galvanized lines matter

Lead service lines can contribute lead to drinking water, which is a health concern, especially for young children and pregnant women — which is the reason for the statewide deadline. Galvanized lines are a related problem: if a galvanized line was ever downstream of a lead line, it can trap and later release lead, and on its own galvanized steel rusts closed over decades, dropping your water pressure and discoloring your water. That is why the program covers both.

How to tell what your service line is made of

You can often identify the material yourself where the line enters your home, typically in the basement before the water meter:

• Lead: dull gray, soft, and scratches to a shiny silver color. A magnet will not stick. Tapping it sounds dull.
• Galvanized steel: also dull gray but harder, magnetic (a magnet sticks), and scratches to a duller gray. Often has visible threaded joints and rust.
• Copper: reddish-brown or, when scratched, bright copper-penny color. Not magnetic.
• Plastic (PEX or PVC): white, blue or black plastic — modern and not a concern.

New Jersey American Water also maintains service-line material records as part of its inventory, so you can check your address with the utility. We can help you identify your line during any visit and document what you have.

What to do first

1. 1Identify your service-line material at the meter, or check your address with New Jersey American Water.
2. 2If it is lead or galvanized, contact New Jersey American Water about the replacement program before arranging any paid replacement.
3. 3Ask the utility about eligibility, timing and what portion (utility-side vs. customer-side) the program covers.
4. 4Keep any documentation of the replacement for your records and for future home sale disclosures.

Where a plumber fits in

A plumber is not your first call for a lead service line replacement — the utility program is. But a licensed plumber can help you identify the line, coordinate interior connections after a replacement, and handle related galvanized supply piping inside the home that the service-line program does not cover. If you have low pressure or discolored water from aging galvanized pipe inside the house, that interior work is on our pipe repair and repiping page.

Note that whether the same utility and program apply identically in each neighboring town — Scotch Plains, Cranford, Fanwood and the others — should be confirmed for your specific address before you rely on it.

Questions? Call

If you are unsure what your service line is made of or how the interior plumbing connects, Hydrosphere Plumbers can help you identify it and plan any interior work. Call (858) 363-8298. For the service-line replacement itself, contact New Jersey American Water first.