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Crookston council approves planning funds to begin replacing suspected lead service lines
Summary
The council approved an AE2S task order to begin planning and bidding for lead service line replacements after staff and engineers estimated 13–15 likely lead lines; $350,000 is allocated overall with an initial $45,000 front‑load for planning and bidding. The city and Minnesota Department of Health will continue targeted household testing.
The Crookston City Council voted to approve a task order to begin planning and bidding for replacement of suspected lead service lines, moving the city toward compliance with state and federal replacement requirements. An engineering representative said the city has $350,000 allocated for the program and recommended a first task order of about $45,000 to cover planning and bidding costs.
Betsy, an AE2S engineer who appeared at the meeting, told the council the city’s surveys have identified roughly 13–15 suspected lead service lines and said the initial task order would front‑load design and bidding so construction task orders can follow when needed. “We do have the 350,000 allocated to us. So there are at time of our estimation about 13 is what we had. We are aware that there's about 15,” she said, describing the phased approach of planning first, then a later construction task order.
Council members pressed staff and the consultant on how the program connects to recent household testing and Department of Health findings. Staff said the Department of Health worked directly with two residents whose water samples came back above recommended levels and determined, after investigation, that those two cases were caused by internal plumbing rather than the service line. Staff also said the city is conducting regular (quarterly) monitoring at multiple locations and is sampling wells before and after treatment; the city’s average lead result reported to the council was below two parts per billion.
Council discussion raised practical questions about program rollout and resident outreach: how many older homes remain in Crookston, where suspected lines are clustered, and who pays for replacements inside homes versus the service line from the main to the meter. Staff said the task order would cover replacement from the main into the meter for affected properties and that work to remediate internal household plumbing remains the homeowner’s responsibility, though the state is working on programs to reimburse homeowners for interior plumbing work.
The council approved the resolution and the AE2S task order by roll call. Staff said they will continue outreach and sampling and will return with follow‑up task orders when the construction phase is ready.
Next steps: staff will proceed with the planning and bidding phase under the approved task order and coordinate additional sampling and resident outreach in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health.
