Lead and Drinking Water

Hawaiian Beaches Water Company is required to regularly test water samples from household taps within our community for the presence of lead and copper in accordance with the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) lead/copper rule.

Although the test results are excellent and have repeatedly shown that lead and copper are not a problem in household drinking water here, the EPA revised the regulations in 2021 to further protect consumers from the impact of lead and copper.

Lead Service Line Inventory

In accordance with the 2021 Lead and Copper Rule Revisions Hawaiian Beaches Water Company has developed a service line material inventory that includes information for the entire service line that is connected from our water mains to homes and buildings. The inventory indicates if the material is lead, non-lead, galvanized requiring replacement, or lead status unknown.

The service line connects the water main in the street to your property. Hawaiian Beaches Water Company owns the section of the service line from the water main to the curb stop at the property line. The property owner owns the section of the service line from the curb stop to the house. Some older homes may have lead solder, brass plumbing fixtures or galvanized steel pipes that may contain lead. We have yet to find any lead service lines. You will see our employees out in the field doing inspections, they will need to inspect the pipe material at the meter box and where it enters your home. If we can’t catch you at home we will leave a notice and ask that you contact the office so we can conduct an inspection or report the pipe material to us. If you have any questions please contact the office 808 965-9882 or hbwc77@gmail.com. Conducting the inspection into your home is very simple.

Materials Needed For Testing: Strong Magnet, a Coin, and a Flathead Screwdriver.

1.  Find the water service entering the building.   The service line should enter the building through the floor on the main level.   Often, you will see a shut-off valve by the entry point into the building.

2.  If the pipe is metal, perform a scratch test on it.   Scratch the outer surface of the pipe with a coin or flathead screwdriver.   Be very careful not to puncture a hole in the pipe and do nut use a sharp object for this test.

3.  If the pipe is metal, place a magnet on the pipe to check if it sticks to the pipe.  

4. If the pipe is metal, tap the pipe with a coin and listen to the sound it makes. 

5.  Compare the results of your test with the guidelines shown below.   Submit your results using the form located here: https://tinyurl.com/v5prjced.