Lead service replacement, ¾-in. 1922 lead → 1-in. K-copper.

§ I · Inventory finding

Buffalo Water's LSL Inventory, published 16 October 2024 in compliance with the EPA Revised Lead and Copper Rule deadline,¹ classified this property's service line as "confirmed lead — homeowner side" based on a 2017 inspection conducted as part of a meter-replacement program. The customer received a written notice in mid-October 2025 advising her of the finding and providing information about the BIL-funded LSLR replacement program. She called our shop on 22 October 2025.

§ II · Survey & verification

Survey performed by Marie Knapp on 30 October 2025. Curb-stop access pulled (Buffalo Water permit obtained for this purpose); curb-stop confirmed brass valve; downstream service material confirmed lead by visual inspection and by spot-test sampling against the inventory record. Run length 38 ft from curb stop to basement entry. Depth at curb 4.5 ft (consistent with 1922 Buffalo standard install). Run path traced from curb to entry through the customer's lawn. No documented hazardous-soil conditions; standard residential disturbance permit sufficient.

Pre-replacement first-draw water samples drawn at four points: kitchen cold, primary bath cold, secondary bath cold, basement utility cold. Submitted to Eurofins Eaton West Seneca lab; lead reported at 8.4 µg/L (kitchen first-draw) and 4.1–6.2 µg/L at the other three points. The kitchen first-draw exceeded the EPA action level of 10 µg/L proposed for 2027; the customer's existing exposure was being managed by an under-sink filter (NSF/ANSI 53 certified Pur unit, customer-installed circa 2018) as a stopgap.

§ III · Method

Lead service replacement (RKT-MTH-05) by directional pull. The existing lead line was used as the pulling path: a swage head was attached to one end of the lead, the other end was attached to a length of new 1-in. K-copper service tubing (Mueller Industries, NSF/ANSI 61 certified), and the lead was pulled out of the bore from the basement-side pit while the K-copper was drawn in behind it. This is the cleanest geometry available for a residential lead replacement and avoids excavation of the 38-ft run between pits.

§ IV · Execution

Job day: Thursday 11 December 2025. Crew: Dani Okonkwo (lead operator), Marie Knapp (foreman), Linda Pham (operations + reimbursement paperwork). Buffalo Water field crew (J. Alvarado) arrived on site at 8:30 a.m. for the city-side connection coordination.

1. 7:30 — Curb-side pit excavated; basement-side pit excavated. Both pits 4×4×5 ft, hand-dug below 24 in.
2. 9:00 — Buffalo Water disconnected the existing service at the city main. House on shut-off; customer was at her sister's house in Kenmore for the day, per pre-arranged plan.
3. 9:45 — Lead pull. Existing ¾-in. lead service pulled from basement-side pit using the TRIC M-100 winch. Total pull 38 ft, took 6 minutes, no breaks.
4. 10:30 — New K-copper installed by reverse-pull through the same bore. Tracer wire laid alongside.
5. 11:30 — City-side connection by Buffalo Water crew. New corporation stop installed at city main; new curb stop installed at curb. Customer's billing-side meter setter replaced (Mueller B-25028 yoke).
6. 12:30 — Basement-side connection by Al Reuter. New 1-in. K-copper to existing copper distribution piping; new ground-rod electrical bond installed (because the original ground was clamped to the lead service, which has now been removed). Pressure test 100 psi for 30 min, no drop.
7. 1:30 — Flush sequence per NYSDOH guidance. 30-minute flush at every cold-water fixture in the home.
8. 2:30 — Post-replacement first-draw and 30-second flush samples taken at six points (kitchen, primary bath, secondary bath, basement utility, exterior hose bib, plus a duplicate at kitchen for QA). Samples couriered to Eurofins.
9. 3:15 — Lead pipe staged for hazardous-waste disposal per NYS DEC 6 NYCRR Part 372 lead-shipment requirements. Customer back in service.

§ V · Verification result

Eurofins ICP-MS results received 19 December 2025. All six post-replacement samples reported < 1 µg/L (laboratory detection limit 0.5 µg/L). Customer's existing under-sink filter retained at her preference; not required by the post-replacement results.

§ VI · Cost & reimbursement

Lead service replacement, 38 ft, 1-in. K-copper, both pits, both connections, flush sequence	$5,200
Six-point ICP-MS post-replacement testing (Eurofins)	$285
Buffalo Water connection coordination fee	$220
Hazardous-waste disposal (lead pipe)	$185
Permit + electrical-bond ground rod	$165
Subtotal	$6,055
NYS sales tax (8.75%)	$145
Gross total	$6,200
BIL-LSLR reimbursement (federal)	−$5,000
Customer out-of-pocket	$1,200

1-year workmanship warranty. K-copper carries indefinite design life under CDA Copper Tube Handbook guidance.²

§ VII · Why we publish this dossier

Two reasons. First, the LCRR-driven lead service replacement program is the single largest residential-water infrastructure intervention in this customer's lifetime, and most Buffalo homeowners do not yet know what to expect. The dossier shows what a real day looks like: when the city crew arrives, when the house is off-water, what the verification produces, what the reimbursement looks like. Second, the cost arithmetic — $6,200 gross, $1,200 net — is genuinely accessible. Customers who hear $5,800–$8,400 on our methods page often assume the federal reimbursement is theoretical. This dossier shows that on a typical North Park job in December 2025, the program worked exactly as the EPA documented it would.

Related: RKT-MTH-05, Records, North Park.