Missouri American Water outlines door-to-door lead service line inventory and replacement plan for Saint Ann

Susan Harris, a representative of Missouri American Water, told the Saint Ann Board of Aldermen on Jan. 7 that the company will begin a door‑to‑door inventory of service‑line materials required by a recent U.S. EPA rule and will replace customer‑owned lead or galvanized service lines where found.

Harris said Missouri American Water’s contractor teams will knock on doors, request interior access to photograph the service line at the foundation, and upload that image to the company database. Joe Grillo, identified as a contractor with CE Wellmeyer, described canvassers who will wear company badges and high‑visibility vests and said they may work weekdays and some weekends to reach residents who are not home during regular hours.

City officials and residents pressed the company for details about costs, timing and worker identification. Harris said the work will not generally be a direct cost to an individual homeowner but will be recovered across the utility district; she estimated the homeowner impact at “about 11¢ a month” compared with an alternative where customers paid individual replacement costs. She added that, if a line is confirmed as lead or galvanized on the customer‑owned portion, the company will offer to replace the service line from the interior shutoff valve at the foundation out to the meter or, if required, to the water main. Replacements will not include internal household plumbing.

The company described customer protections and scheduling steps: canvassers will leave door hangers with QR codes linking to the program webpage; homeowners can schedule an appointment or upload a photo of the interior service line themselves via the utility’s online map; teams will not perform customer‑side work without a signed agreement when the customer‑owned portion contains lead or galvanized material. Grillo said his crews typically photograph more than 2,000 interior inspections a month and that replacement methods are designed to minimize excavation near the house by pneumatically pulling pipe from the meter pit when feasible.

Harris said the utility will provide temporary pitcher filters after replacement and will offer homeowners a free confirmatory sampling kit mailed within about three months of replacement. She said the company is coordinating with the Public Service Commission and Missouri Department of Natural Resources and that some recently collected data may be delayed on the public map while corporate systems are upgraded.

Residents asked whether meters removed from inside homes will be relocated outside; company representatives said meters replaced under the public‑utility 10‑year replacement cycle will be moved outside when crews perform replacements to avoid repeated interior visits. Harris also said the company will prioritize street zones identified by the city to avoid duplicate work with public‑works projects.

Why this matters: the inventory and replacements respond to federal requirements and affect household drinking water exposure and small, predictable changes to customer bills. City leaders asked the utility to coordinate with police and public‑works staff and to publicize contractor badges and schedules so residents can verify crews.

The board and company did not record a municipal vote on the program during the meeting; Missouri American Water requested the board’s help notifying residents and said it will return to follow up locally.

"We want to take care of people while we're here," Harris said, adding the utility's goal is to make Saint Ann a lead‑free city.

Ending: The utility left printed packets and door hangers with staff and asked the city to help publicize the canvass. Residents who want program details were told to use the company’s map and contact lines on the packet; company staff said they can follow up directly by email or phone if the public map has not been updated due to ongoing corporate system work.