Pennsylvania American Water says nearly 2,000 service lines in the Pittston area, and tens of thousands more across Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, still have no record of what pipe material actually runs from the street to the house. Here is what the door-to-door push is about, what happens if your line turns out to be lead, and what it means if you live outside the target area entirely.
What's Actually Happening in Pittston, Scranton and Carbondale
Pennsylvania American Water announced this week that door-to-door canvassing is underway in the Pittston area, where about 1,950 customer-side service lines still have no recorded material, meaning nobody has confirmed whether the pipe running from the curb into each home is copper, plastic, lead or galvanized steel. The company says similar outreach is already happening in Scranton and Carbondale, with plans to expand into other communities across both counties as the project continues.
The canvassing itself is handled by CDM Smith, the company's contracted service line inventory firm. Field representatives carry official photo identification and wear high-visibility vests branded with the Pennsylvania American Water logo, and the current round of door-knocking in these communities is expected to wrap up by fall 2026. Where a homeowner isn't reached in person, the company is also pushing people toward self-reporting instead of waiting indefinitely for a knock.
Why 76,400 Lines Are Still a Question Mark
The scale of the unknown is the real story here. Pennsylvania American Water says roughly 76,400 service lines across Lackawanna and Luzerne counties combined still have no confirmed material, even though the utility has identified more than 50,000 lines statewide since the effort began and already replaced upwards of 3,400 customer-owned lead lines at no cost. That gap exists because of how water infrastructure has historically been tracked. A utility typically has good records for the pipe it owns, running from the water main under the street to a curb stop near the sidewalk. The section beyond that, running from the curb stop to the house, belongs to the property owner, and for most of the last century nobody was required to record what that pipe was made of when it went into the ground.
That changed when a federal rule required every water system in the country to compile an initial inventory of lead and galvanized service lines, utility-owned and customer-owned alike, by October 16, 2024. That deadline is what turned decades of undocumented customer-side plumbing into a nationwide accounting project almost overnight, and it is why utilities like Pennsylvania American Water are still working through backlogs of unidentified lines well into 2026, county by county and street by street.
What Happens If Your Line Turns Out to Be Lead or Galvanized
If canvassing, a self-report, or a utility inspection turns up a lead or galvanized steel service line, Pennsylvania American Water's policy is to work with the customer to replace the customer-owned portion of that line at no direct cost, which is the same commitment behind the more than 3,400 lead lines it has already swapped out statewide. In practice that means scheduling a dig on the customer's side of the curb stop, replacing the old pipe with a compliant material, and restoring the property, all without a bill landing on the homeowner afterward.
The identification step matters just as much as the replacement itself, because a line can't be prioritized for free replacement if nobody has confirmed what it's made of. That is the entire point of the current canvassing wave: turning a 76,400-line unknown into a list the utility can actually act on.
If You're Not in Pittston, Scranton or Carbondale, or You're in New Jersey
None of this requires waiting for a knock on the door. Pennsylvania American Water customers anywhere in the state can check an interactive service line map, self-report their own line material online, or reach the company by phone or email to request help figuring it out, regardless of whether their neighborhood has been canvassed yet. Homes built before 1988, when lead solder and fittings were banned nationally, carry the highest odds of having lead or galvanized components somewhere in the system, whether that's the service line itself or older interior plumbing.
New Jersey homeowners are covered by a separate but similar framework. A 2021 state law requires every water provider in New Jersey to identify and disclose the material of both utility-owned and customer-owned service lines, notify customers whose lines are lead or galvanized, and get all of them replaced by 2031. New Jersey American Water has reported replacing thousands of customer-owned lead and galvanized lines under that program to date. Either way, if a plumber flags a suspect pipe during a repair or inspection, that's the moment to get it properly identified and, if needed, replaced. Plumbarama's licensed techs can check service line and interior pipe material during any routine call in NJ or PA, and are available 24/7 if a line needs immediate attention.
Source: Pennsylvania American Water newsroom announcement, August 4, 2026.
6 Things to Know About the PA American Water Line-ID Push
Whether a canvasser has already reached your block or not, here is what matters for homeowners in Pittston, Scranton, Carbondale, or anywhere else the effort eventually lands.
- Two counties, one huge blind spot: About 76,400 service lines across Lackawanna and Luzerne counties combined have no confirmed material on record, despite more than 50,000 already identified statewide.
- The mystery is on your side of the curb: Utilities have long tracked the main-to-curb pipe they own. The curb-to-house section a homeowner owns was rarely documented until federal rules required it.
- A federal deadline is why this exists now: Every water system nationwide had to compile an initial lead and galvanized service line inventory, customer-owned lines included, by October 16, 2024.
- Replacement is free if your line is lead or galvanized: Pennsylvania American Water covers the cost of replacing a customer-owned lead or galvanized line once it's identified, and has already replaced over 3,400 statewide.
- You don't have to wait for a knock: Customers anywhere in the utility's territory can self-report their line material online or by phone rather than waiting for canvassing to reach their street.
- New Jersey has its own version of this: A 2021 NJ law requires water providers to identify and disclose service line material and replace lead and galvanized lines statewide by 2031.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Pennsylvania American Water charging customers to identify or replace their service line?
- No. Identification is free, and if a customer-owned line is found to be lead or galvanized steel, the company replaces it at no direct cost to the homeowner.
- What if I don't live in Pittston, Scranton or Carbondale?
- The company plans to expand canvassing to more communities across Lackawanna and Luzerne counties over time, but any Pennsylvania American Water customer can self-report their line material online now rather than waiting.
- How can I tell a legitimate canvasser from a scam?
- Real Pennsylvania American Water representatives carry official photo identification and wear branded, high-visibility vests. If anyone at your door can't produce ID or asks for payment on the spot, don't let them in and contact the utility directly to verify.
- Does any of this apply if I'm a Plumbarama customer in New Jersey?
- New Jersey has its own state law requiring water providers to identify service line materials and replace lead or galvanized lines by 2031. Ask your water provider for your line's status, and Plumbarama can check interior plumbing material during any service call.