Fort Pierce utility outlines plan, online map and $1.3M in state funds to inventory lead and galvanized service lines

The Fort Pierce Utilities Authority presented the city commission with the first results of its inventory required by the federal Lead and Copper Rule and a new outreach effort intended to guide residents through what the notices mean and how the utility will respond.

FPUA principal engineer John Biggs said the agency’s initial classification counts include thousands of customer connections still labeled “unknown” and smaller numbers confirmed as lead or galvanized on either the utility (public) side or the private side. “This is an initial inventory,” Biggs said. “We have 12,590 unknown [on the utility side], 126 lead and 52 galvanized on the utility side; on the customer side we have more unknowns that will require field verification.”

Rachel Tennant, FPUA director of public affairs and sustainability, said the utility has published a resource page (fpua.com/lead-copper) with an interactive map, an FAQ and a customer survey that allows residents to submit photos and property details to help speed verification. “This is the beginning of an initiative that will guide us toward a lead‑free community,” Tennant said, and she walked commissioners through the map’s color coding and the process by which submitted surveys are reviewed by lead‑and‑copper specialists.

Why it matters: the revised federal rule requires utilities to inventory service‑line materials on both the public and private sides, to publish the inventory, and to file a replacement plan with state regulators. For residents, notices do not by themselves mean drinking-water contamination; FPUA said its treatment plant delivers water without lead, and that long‑term contact with older pipes is what can allow lead to leach into water.

Funding and limits: Tennant said FPUA is preapproved for about $1,300,000 from the state revolving loan fund for public‑side inventory and replacement work; the program requires a 50% match and functions like partial loan forgiveness. Critically, Tennant told the commission, those funds can be used only for public‑side work and inventory; there is currently no mandate requiring private property owners to replace private service lines and no city program yet to pay private replacements.

Customer guidance and outreach: Tennant and Biggs answered detailed questions from commissioners about tenants’ reluctance to dig on private property, language access, and verification methods. FPUA is routing customer service calls to lead specialists, says the online survey is available in Spanish, and is exploring additional translation/field support for Creole and other languages after commissioners urged targeted outreach in older neighborhoods such as Lincoln Park.

Interim precautions: the utility reiterated standard interim measures — for example, flushing taps after periods of non‑use — and provided a link to certified laboratories for households that want water testing. Biggs emphasized that water leaving FPUA’s plant is treated to reduce leaching but that only in‑home testing can confirm contamination where older piping remains.

Next steps: FPUA will continue field verification, refine the inventory, pursue grant and loan funding for public‑side replacements, and coordinate community outreach with the city and the utility advisory committee. Tennant encouraged residents to consult the FPUA resource page or call the dedicated address lcrr@fpua.com for questions.

At the meeting: commissioners praised the outreach materials but pressed for accelerated, multilingual community engagement and for practical support for elderly and non‑Internet households. Several called for a plan to reach tenants and to coordinate inventory work with planned road or capital projects that can replace lines as streets are rebuilt.

The commission did not take a formal vote on the issue; FPUA said the presentation materials would be posted to the meeting record and the authority will present an update to its board the following day.