Search is on for lead pipes in parish

The hunt is on for lead pipes in the local municipalities.
Just last week, Abbeville, Kaplan, and Erath reached out to all residents and businesses using city water, asking them to take a look at the pipes linking their properties to the city’s water supply.
The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) requires that every water service provider in the State have a valid record of the type of service lines providing water to every customer. This is an effort by LDH to eradicate any lead pipes that might still be in service. 
According to the Louisiana Department of Health, enforcement of the federal lead ban began in Louisiana in September 1988, so if your home was built after that, you should not have lead pipes. 
If your home was built before 1988, the EPA provides guidance on how to determine the material of the pipe in your home. 
In Abbeville’s letter, it states, “We have been working to identify service line material throughout the water system, and it has been determined that either a portion of or the entire water pipe (called the service line) that connects your structure at the water meter address to the water main line is made from unknown material but may be lead.”
The letter asks customers to fill out a form regarding the pipes that connect the water meter to their house.
They want to know the pipe going from the water meter to the town’s water system is:
•Galvanized
•Cooper
• Plastic
• Other
• Lead

Also, the water line going to the house from the water meter is:
•Galvanized
•Cooper
• Plastic
• Other
• Lead

Abbeville is asking to mail back the letter or hand deliver it to city hall. They can send it back to Kathy Faulk: P. O. Box 1170, Abbeville, La. 70511: 
Kaplan Mayor Mike Kloesel posted on Facebook that if a Kaplan resident lives in a 60-plus-year-old home, it may have a lead pipe. 
“Most homes in our town are connected from the home to the service line by plastic (PVC), PE tubing, copper, galvanized, and, in rare cases, possibly lead,” said Kloesel.
“If your home is more than 60 years old, you will want to make sure that any lead pipes connecting your water service have been replaced,” the Kaplan Mayor added.
Kloesel said you can scan the QR code within the letter to help you identify the type of service line you have. If you require additional help, don’t hesitate to call Kaplan city hall at 337-643-8811