Do You Have a Lead Water Line in the South Hills?
Bethel Park and many South Hills communities are served by Pennsylvania American Water, not Pittsburgh Water, and the way to find out whether your service line contains lead is to check the utility's online service line map, inspect the pipe where it enters your house, or schedule an inspection through the utility's lead program. If lead is found, Pennsylvania American Water says it will replace the utility-owned or customer-owned portion of the line at no direct cost to you, including galvanized lines that follow lead piping.
That detail gets lost because nearly every search result for Pittsburgh lead lines is about Pittsburgh Water's city program. Suburban homeowners in Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair, South Park, and nearby communities fall under a different utility and a different program. The federal deadline also changed: the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, finalized in October 2024, require water systems nationwide to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years. This post covers what a service line is, how to check yours, what the utility's program covers, and what to do in the meantime.
What Is a Water Service Line?
A water service line is the underground pipe that carries water from the water main in the street to your home. Part of it belongs to the utility and part belongs to the property owner, and either part can be made of lead in older homes.
The line usually enters the house through the basement wall or floor, near the water meter if the meter is inside. The EPA's customer guide for identifying service lines notes that when the meter is indoors, the service line comes in near the meter on the same wall.
Who Supplies Water in Bethel Park and the South Hills?
Pennsylvania American Water serves Bethel Park and many surrounding communities. A February 2025 company announcement about $22 million in water main upgrades listed Bethel Park, Brentwood, South Park, Upper St. Clair, Mt. Lebanon, Union, Baldwin, Collier, Dormont, and Whitehall as project areas.
The company's 2025 water quality report for its Pittsburgh system, which draws from the Monongahela River, lists a 90th percentile lead result of 4 parts per billion, with 1 of 50 sampled sites above the 15 ppb action level. System results do not tell you about your own house, though. The EPA says the primary source of lead in drinking water is pipes, which is why knowing your own service line material matters.
How Can You Tell If Your Service Line Is Lead?
Start at the pipe where it enters the house. The EPA's customer guide describes two simple checks:
Scratch test: Gently scratch the pipe with a key or coin. The EPA says a shiny silver color means the pipe is likely lead.
Magnet test: A magnet does not stick to lead or copper. It does stick to galvanized steel.
The EPA also describes what other materials look like:
Copper: the color of a penny, sometimes with a green or brown film
Galvanized steel: silver or gray and hard to scratch
Plastic: usually white or gray, though other colors exist
Keep the scratch gentle, as the EPA describes. If you still cannot tell, the utility's inspection option is the next step.
What Does Pennsylvania American Water's Lead Program Cover?
The company's lead service line replacement page says it will replace a lead service line, whether the lead is on the utility-owned or customer-owned side, at no direct cost to you. The program also covers galvanized lines that follow lead piping.
To check or report your line, the company offers:
An online service line map where you can search your address, answer a few questions, and upload a photo of your pipe
An inspection scheduled through its contractor, CDM Smith, by calling the Lead Service Line Hotline at 717-581-8599 or booking at calendly.com/leadfreepa
Email at LeadFreePA@amwater.com and more information at pennsylvaniaamwater.com/LeadFacts
In a July 2026 announcement, Pennsylvania American Water reported that statewide it had identified more than 50,000 service lines and replaced more than 3,400 customer-owned lead lines. That same release described door-to-door canvassing in several Pittsburgh neighborhoods to identify about 5,700 lines whose material was still unknown.
What Is the Federal Deadline for Replacing Lead Pipes?
The EPA issued its Lead and Copper Rule Improvements on October 8, 2024. According to the agency, the rule requires drinking water systems across the country to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years, tightens testing, and lowers the threshold at which communities must act.
For homeowners, the practical takeaway is that utilities are actively building inventories of every service line, and yours may already be listed on the utility's map as lead, non-lead, or unknown. Reporting your pipe material helps move your address out of the unknown column.
What Should You Do While You Wait?
If your line is lead or unknown, a few steps make sense while replacement is scheduled:
Check the utility map and report your pipe material with a photo.
Call the hotline to schedule an inspection if you cannot tell what the pipe is.
Ask Pennsylvania American Water what precautions it recommends for your household in the meantime.
Keep an eye on your interior plumbing too. The EPA notes that even with a plastic service line, lead can still be present in faucets and solder.
Galvanized pipes inside the house are a separate issue from the service line. Our guide on how to know if your pipes need replacing covers the warning signs, and why your home's water pressure is low explains how aging pipes can affect flow. If you plan interior pipe work, read do you need a permit for plumbing work in Pittsburgh first.
FAQ
Does Pennsylvania American Water replace lead service lines for free?
The company says it replaces lead service lines, including the customer-owned portion, at no direct cost to you. Contact the utility to confirm how the program applies to your address.
Is Bethel Park served by Pittsburgh Water?
No. Pennsylvania American Water serves Bethel Park and lists it among the South Hills communities in its 2025 main upgrade project. Pittsburgh Water serves the City of Pittsburgh.
How do I check if my pipe is lead?
Find where the line enters your home and gently scratch it with a key. The EPA says a shiny silver scratch suggests lead, and a magnet will not stick to it.
What if my service line is galvanized?
Pennsylvania American Water's program covers galvanized lines that follow lead piping. Report the material through the utility's map or hotline so it can be assessed.
When does lead pipe replacement have to be finished?
The EPA's 2024 rule requires water systems to replace lead pipes within 10 years. Your utility sets its own schedule within that window.
Can I replace my own side of the line myself?
Contact the utility before doing anything. Its program covers customer-side lead at no direct cost, and plumbing work in Allegheny County requires a permit.
Plumbing Help in Bethel Park and the South Hills
All Pro Plumbing Heating & Cooling provides a full range of plumbing repairs and installations for homes in Bethel Park and across Allegheny and Washington counties, including water filtration systems from under-sink filters to whole-house setups. Registered Master Plumber John Oakes founded the company in 2006 as a home-based family business, and it now runs from its own office on Library Road with 10 local employees. Pricing is upfront and per job, and emergency service is available 24/7. See plumbing services and fixture and filtration installation.
Visit All Pro Plumbing or call 412-595-8204 today. Contact us for more information.
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