Monte Vista hears detailed update on lead-and-copper rule, inventories and possible costs

Rob Vance, public works director for the City of Monte Vista, told the city council on Jan. 2 that the city has met state deadlines for submitting an inventory required under the federal Lead and Copper Rule Revision (LCRR) but faces more work and possible costs in 2025.

Vance said the city submitted an inventory of service-line materials by the October 2024 deadline that listed about 1,726 unknown service lines out of roughly 27,100 taps the city serves. “We wound up submitting our inventory with a little about 1726 unknown lines out of the 27100 and 30 some, taps that we have in town,” Vance said. He added the city mailed notice to owners of unknown lines and had received roughly 300 responses so far.

The update explained why those unknowns remain: older paper records often do not list pipe materials, many properties were built before 1988 (the date Colorado adopted a no‑lead requirement), and prior data contractors used a different form than the state required. The city has performed potholing and meter‑pit inspections to identify materials but still faces locations where access is limited or where excavation is required.

Vance said Monte Vista has not detected elevated lead in its water tests to date. “All of our tests have come back in a positive way, meaning there is no lead in the system, and we have found no lead lines,” he said, and noted the city’s Consumer Confidence Reports reflect no detectable lead so far.

Looking ahead, Vance said state and federal changes require the city to do predictive modeling and physical verification for a subset of unknowns in 2025. “The requirement for us for 25 is we have to predictive model 20% of our 1700 service lines,” he said, explaining an engineer will select addresses for testing and the city will pothole at both the main and at the point the service enters the building (not at the meter or curb stop, per current state guidance).

Vance described operational and financial risks if the EPA finalizes expanded coverage by 2027 to include galvanized lines and lead pigtails. If galvanized service lines are included, “we will have to replace, in my estimation, 90% of our distribution system service lines,” he told council, adding that the revised rule also appears to require water utilities to provide financing options to property owners who cannot afford to replace their portion of the service line.

He summarized required actions if the city finds a lead exceedance or a lead line: immediate notification to the state, notice to downstream customers, replacement of the utility-owned portion of affected service lines, and provision of point‑of‑use filters and replacement cartridges for impacted households for a minimum period specified by the rule. Vance said the city does not yet have a definitive method from the state for identifying “downstream” customers in the city’s looped distribution system.

Vance told the council the city has applied for state funding to retain Sunrise Engineering to continue the inventory and sampling work and said staff applied already for this year’s funding. He asked residents who received an unknown‑line notice to contact Michelle Bradford, planning and public works associate, to set appointments for noninvasive checks where residents cannot access their crawl spaces.

Council members asked whether block‑level assumptions could be used; Vance said predictive modeling by an engineer is the state‑preferred approach but that sampling a subset of homes on a block can support material classifications if properly documented. He also explained practical issues such as access under slabs and concrete and noted hydro‑excavation would limit damage compared with backhoes.

Vance emphasized the rule remains fluid and that monthly changes have continued through late 2024. He closed by reiterating the city’s current testing shows no lead and that staff will proceed with the 2025 sampling program pending grant funding.

For assistance or to schedule an inspection, Vance said residents should contact Michelle Bradford at the City of Monte Vista at 719‑852‑2692.