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Council discusses lead-service-line sampling; city offers free replacement while funds last
Summary
Following a 60-house sample showing elevated lead in targeted areas, council discussed steps for homeowners to check service lines and the city’s program to inspect and replace private lead service lines at no cost for now; officials warned the state may later require replacements with potential costs of $10,000–$20,000 shifting to sellers or buyers.
Council members spent an extended portion of the meeting responding to resident concerns about lead in drinking water after a mailing based on a 60-house sample showed elevated results in targeted areas.
A councilmember who described himself as a plumber said most of the city’s distribution mains do not contain lead; elevated readings stemmed from a targeted sample of service lines that connect properties to the mains. City officials urged residents to check the material at their water meter — if the service coming into the meter is copper, the home is likely not served by a lead line — and to call the Department of Public Works (DPW) to request an inspection.
Officials said the city will send crews to inspect and, while funds are available, replace lead service lines at no cost to homeowners. "We will send someone out to inspect your line to determine whether it is a lead line, and it will be replaced at no cost to the homeowner," a council speaker stated. Officials cautioned that after repeated outreach attempts, state rules may eventually require replacement and that future compliance costs could fall to sellers or buyers — estimates mentioned were in the range of $10,000 to $20,000 per service line. Residents were advised to flush taps after prolonged vacancy and to contact DPW for testing or replacement information.
The council framed the outreach as precautionary: most of the system remains unaffected, but targeted service-line testing found some results above advisory levels in the sampled areas.
