The Ojai Water System (owned and operated by Casitas Municipal Water District, referred to hereafter as Casitas - Ojai Water System) has completed the initial lead service line inventory required by U.S. EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions. The deadline for the initial inventories is October 16, 2024.

Through completing a historical records review and field investigations, the Casitas - Ojai Water System has determined it has no lead or galvanized requiring replacement service lines in its distribution system. This includes any privately-owned or customer-owned service lines.

Casitas - Ojai Water System reviewed all applicable sources of information, including

·         Construction and plumbing codes, permits, and existing records or other documentation which indicates the service line materials;

·         Water system records, including distribution system maps and drawings, historical records on each service connection, engineering standard details, meter installation records, historical capital improvement or master plans, and standard operating procedures;

·         All inspections and records of the distribution system that indicate service line material, including inspections conducted during the course of normal operations (e.g., checking service line materials when reading water meters or performing maintenance activities); and

·         Additional dedicated physical inspections of the service line at the meter and/or at the structure.

In addition to reviewing the above sources of information, the Casitas - Ojai Water System used an alternative method to develop the inventory that was approved by the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water on a case-by-case basis.

The Casitas - Ojai Water System used stratified random sampling to develop the initial inventory. Stratified random sampling involves physically verifying a subset of randomly selected service lines in the distribution system. That subset is stratified or divided into groups based on certain characteristics (e.g., years the service lines were installed). Stratification allows for a sample or subset of service lines to be more representative of the service lines in the distribution system.

After investigating the subset of service lines, if no lead or galvanized requiring replacement service lines are discovered, the remaining service lines may be assumed non-lead with a certain level of confidence. The Casitas - Ojai Water System verified 374 service lines, and the service lines were verified non-lead with copper and plastic (PVC) being the primary service line material identified.  No lead or galvanized requiring replacement service lines were identified. Through this statistical approach, service lines were categorized (stratified) based on the period of construction as listed in county records

The Casitas - Ojai Water System continues to document service line material information obtained from normal operations, such as service line maintenance or water main replacements, after October 2024 and will update the initial inventory accordingly.

For additional questions, please email waterquality@casitaswater.com