Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Service Lines topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Texarkana Water Utility outlines federally mandated water service line inventory and timeline
Summary
Texarkana Water Utility briefed the City Council on an EPA‑mandated inventory of water service lines, saying the initial inventory is about 90% complete and identifying key deadlines through 2037 for inventory, customer notification and replacement planning.
Texarkana Water Utility officials told the City Council on Aug. 26 that the utility is conducting a federally mandated water service line inventory and expects to meet upcoming deadlines for public reporting and customer notification.
The inventory, required by directives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and overseen in Texas by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, requires utilities to identify pipe materials from the water main to the building entrance and to make initial results publicly accessible. David Waldrop, environmental engineer for Texarkana Water Utility, said the utility's initial inventory is approximately 90% complete and that it has incorporated service‑line information into the city GIS map for ongoing updates.
The utility highlighted specific dates and requirements: the initial inventory must be completed and submitted to the TCEQ and made publicly accessible by Oct. 16, 2024; customers must be notified in writing of the status of their individual service line by Nov. 16, 2024, with notifications repeated annually until materials are identified; inventories must be updated between Jan. 1, 2025, and Oct. 1, 2027; and a final inventory and a water service line replacement plan must be submitted by Oct. 1, 2027, with implementation planned through 2037.
Waldrop said the primary replacement concern locally is galvanized piping. He summarized the material‑based approach: if a service line is galvanized and there is no documentation proving there was never a segment of lead pipe upstream of that galvanized section, EPA guidance requires replacement. He said most service lines installed in the past 30+ years are polyvinyl chloride (PVC), but without written records those lines must still be inventoried and verified.
Council members asked about the split of responsibility for replacements. Texarkana Water Utility representatives said the utility's current dividing line is the meter: everything from the main to the meter is the utility's responsibility; everything from the meter into and inside the building is the customer's responsibility. Waldrop noted federal debate continues over whether responsibility should extend to the building entrance, a change that would raise property‑rights and cost issues.
Utility staff outlined how they will verify materials when records are missing: with customer permission, crews can “pot‑hole” (excavate a small test hole, typically 6 to 18 inches deep) on the customer's side to see pipe materials. Waldrop cautioned not all customers will agree to allow excavations on private property, which could complicate verification.
The presentation closed with a request from council that the utility provide periodic progress updates as the program moves toward the October filing and the subsequent notification and replacement phases.
