A new report shows that lead pipe inventories of New York State water systems aren’t entirely accurate.
The report from Rockefeller Institute of Government notes 8 percent of the state’s nearly 3 thousand water systems don’t have inventories. It also finds larger municipal water systems such as those in Buffalo and Syracuse could identify what most pipes were made of. But, smaller systems still have a higher number of unknown lines. Laura Rabinow with the Rockefeller Institute says these inaccuracies stem from several factors "Lack of familiarity with the kind of new templates and reporting processes involved in this. It’s the first time everybody’s doing it, and so understandably, there are going to be some learning curves there." Other issues include incomplete historical records, the availability of staff to work on these inventories, and data validation by the state. While these inconsistencies and challenges are expected, Rabinow notes it’s important to get the information correct now. A baseline inventory for the state is required by 2027 to serve as the basis for federal lead pipe replacement plans.
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