Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Quality topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Milledgeville to test 5,557 water service lines; city says it has $2M for possible replacements
Summary
City Manager Griffin told council the city has 7,451 water customers, has already ruled out lead for 1,894 addresses and will test 5,557 unknown service lines using a contract with Utility and Water Services. The city said it has secured $2,000,000 for replacements if required under current EPA-related rules.
City Manager Mister Griffin briefed the Milledgeville City Council on Nov. 12 about the city’s lead service-line inventory and an upcoming testing program.
Griffin said the city’s customer list includes 7,451 water accounts. “We were able to definitively determine that 1,894 of those customers did not have lead service lines. So we're gonna have to test 5,557 lines,” he said, describing the potholing method that will determine whether private-side lines contain lead.
The city has contracted Utility and Water Services to perform the inventory and testing; an EPA-template notice prepared by staff will be mailed to affected customers within the week. Griffin said the testing is expected to begin in late November but that an exact start date will be published once known.
Under current law cited by the manager, the city would be responsible for replacing discovered lead service lines that run between the meter and the house, though Griffin noted the EPA’s rules could change. He said the city has secured an additional $2,000,000 of funding that would be available for replacements if needed, and that inventory funds are structured so they would not become repayable debt if spent in a timely manner.
Why it matters: identifying and replacing lead service lines is a public-health measure with cost and operational implications for the city and property owners. The manager urged councilmembers to refer constituent questions to the water and sewer department and said staff will publish social-media and print notices explaining the process.
Next steps: the city will mail required notices, publish a graphic explaining the testing process online and in local media, and begin potholing/testing by late November when scheduling is finalized.
