Integrating Data Collection into

 Ongoing Activities

Routine utility field work and investigation by homeowners can contribute useful information to build or refine an LSL inventory. Examples of activities that could yield helpful data, the drawbacks and benefits of each are explained in the table below. 

Approach	Description	Pros	Cons
Customer survey	Provide instructions to households asking for them to inspect their service line and report service line material (e.g., lead test kit or scratch test)	​Provides current information on material and provides information on portion of service line accessible to the customer	Limited by access to service line, relies on household’s participation and attention to the task, and only represents material where visible in the home
​As component of utility field work	Field crews or contractors engaged in meter replacement or other fieldwork check and record service line material (e.g., lead test kit or scratch test)	​Provides current information on material; utilizes staff with expertise; staff are under supervision for quality control, reporting, etc.	​Only represents material where visible to the field crew
Test Pit	​Manual excavation – Use of hand and power tools to remove soil so that the service line material can be visually inspected	Provides current information on material; utilizes staff with expertise; staff are under supervision for quality control, reporting, etc.	Only represents material where visible to the field crew, requires mobilization of field crew and is labor intensive, may disturb service line, and disturbs landscaping
​Test Pit	Vacuum extraction – Applied vacuum with or without compressed air to remove soil so that service line material can be visually inspected ​	Provides current information on material; utilizes staff with expertise; staff are under supervision for quality control, reporting, etc.; faster and less disruptive than manual excavation	Only represents material where visible to the field crew, requires mobilization of field crew, equipment may need to be obtained or may require contracting work, likely to disturb service line, and disturbs landscaping