Laredo utilities director says lead-and-copper compliance met, outlines main-replacement and valve programs

Laredo’s utilities director reported the department has met revised federal lead-and-copper inventory requirements and laid out a multi-year program to replace failing mains, expand valve and leak-detection programs, and improve sampling and public communications.

The update, delivered to the Laredo Utilities Advisory Committee, summarized work since an October regulatory incident and the director’s first 90 days in office. The director said the utility now conducts about 50 bacteriological samples per month, has posted its service-line inventory on the city website, and has begun a prioritized main-replacement plan covering 69 streets.

The director (name not specified), director of utilities, told the committee: “We are now in compliance,” referring to actions taken to meet the revised lead-and-copper rule and the reporting deadlines tied to that rule. He said staff used age-based presumptions to speed the inventory and posted the results to the city website to meet the federal 30-day public-notification requirement after completing the inventory.

Why it matters: the federal lead-and-copper revisions required community systems to inventory service-line materials and notify the public; meeting the first deadlines avoids further administrative penalties and supports continued bond- and credit-rating stability. The director said Fitch asked about lead-and-copper compliance during a recent rating review and the city’s compliance helped preserve its rating.

Most important details

- Lead and copper: The director said an inventory classified roughly 37,000 of the city’s 80,000 service connections as “unknown” and that the utility posted inventory information online and included notices with bills to meet the public-notification step. He said the department will seek funding and use targeted testing and newer in-line tools to refine the unknown-service-line count over time.

- Priority mains and construction: The department has identified 69 high break-frequency mains for replacement; three of those streets are in the design phase and will be bid in short order. The director said the city expects to use a mix of trenchless and open-cut methods as appropriate and will include surveying and GIS updates as part of project bids.

- Valve program and outage procedures: The director said the city will deploy automated valve-operating equipment within weeks and run an active valve maintenance/operating program. He said that operating valves before planned outages and replacing nonfunctional valves will reduce outage durations and the area affected by breaks.

- Leak detection and GIS: The utility plans to dedicate a full-time leak-detection resource, purchase modern leak-detection equipment, and collect GIS coordinates for valves, hydrants and manholes so field crews and contractors can update maps during repairs.

- Sampling and treatment projects: Bacteriological sampling was reorganized and moved to the water-treatment division; the department also plans a ribbon cutting next week for a chlorine-dioxide polishing process at its water-treatment plants. The director said several exhibits at the city’s Water Museum are being repaired and that curator Sheila Seva now leads sampling and cross-connection efforts.

- Wastewater inspection and condition assessments: The director described a multisensor CCTV assessment of a 54-inch sewer main showing about 40 percent debris fill, and said the city will clean the pipe before diverting flows to new treatment facilities. He said council will consider purchasing two small-diameter robots for assessment of 6- to 12-inch lines.

- Regulatory items and corrective actions: The director said inspectors and outside assistance identified 362 items after the October incident; those have been addressed or are under resolution and he reported the outstanding list had been reduced to 44 items. He credited staff work and outside assistance for the progress.

- Supply and conservation context: The director provided system figures: the utility’s 2024 average daily demand was about 34 million gallons per day, with a max day near 44 million gallons; the city manager has indicated about 54 million gallons per day of available water from the Rio Grande supply portfolio. He described efforts to reduce lost water through main replacements and operational improvements rather than permanent, broad use restrictions.

Quotes and attribution

“We are now in compliance,” the director said of the lead-and-copper rule and public-notification steps. He also urged a culture of routine operations: “Main breaks will be shorter duration. Less lost water. The area impacted will be a lot smaller.”

Sheila Seva, identified in the meeting as the curator at the Water Museum and as the cross-connection program lead, was named repeatedly as the staff member overseeing sampling changes and the cross-connection effort.

Staff and next steps

The director said the city will request available funding, including potential programs through the Texas Water Development Board, to refine service-line inventories and support line replacements. He said the AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) meter-changeout program is advancing and staff will seek funding from a technology-support board in the coming weeks. Council consideration of two small robots and upcoming ribbon-cutting events were noted as near-term items for public attention.

Votes and formal actions

The committee approved the meeting minutes by motion at the start of the session. The transcript shows a motion and a second, and vocal “aye” and “no” responses during a brief exchange; the clerk and members resolved the exchange and the minutes motion passed (specific individual vote tallies were not recorded in the transcript and are not specified).

Ending

The director asked the advisory committee for continued feedback and public outreach support, saying he wants the utility’s progress to be visible and measurable. He closed by asking members to visit the Water Museum and the treatment facilities and to expect regular updates as projects move from design to construction.