Resident urges independent review of Las Cruces lead service line inventory, cites gaps and 'false' designations

A Las Cruces resident told the City Council during public participation May 19 that the city's lead service line inventory required by the EPA contains "huge gaps" and false or misleading entries, and urged the city to obtain an independent engineering assessment.

Lynn Moore told the council the inventory posted online omits service‑line data for many properties and, for properties that are listed, sometimes marks lines "non‑lead" without adequate basis. "More than half the properties have no indication of any service lines whatsoever," Moore said, and she pointed council members to handouts she provided that sampled alleged deficiencies across hundreds of properties.

Moore said she found examples where the city designated a city‑owned service line as non‑lead by citing an installation date after the 1986 lead ban even though the same record showed piping installed in 1968. She noted EPA guidance for how systems should characterize partially unknown lines and said the city’s current inventory, if left uncorrected, could put Las Cruces at risk of noncompliance and civil penalties under the amended Lead and Copper Rule.

She urged the council to "study this well‑researched, fact‑based information and consider it thoughtfully" and recommended hiring an independent engineer with relevant management experience to assess the city's compliance and the accuracy of the inventory. The council did not take an immediate action on the request during the meeting; staff or councilors did not announce a follow‑up assignment at the time.

Background: The EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule requires water systems to inventory service lines, characterize unknown segments and plan replacements where lead is present. Residents and advocates use inventories to find whether their homes are subject to lead pipe risk; accuracy is central to public confidence and compliance.