MONROE — City officials are seeking the public’s help in completing an inventory of all lead water service lines, with an eye on replacing a percentage of them each year until the city system is lead-free and in compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for drinking water.
The survey/inventory is detailed in letters to homeowners who are on city water; and is explained thusly: “We are working with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources with the goal of receiving public grant funding that will cover all private homeowner’s costs to replace their lead service line with a new plastic line into the home,” city officials said. “If grant funding is received, a citywide lead service line replacement program could possibly occur between 2023 and 2025.”
The problem, however, is that compliance with completing the survey/inventory has been spotty at best and city officials say they are up against a deadline to complete the process so they can begin using matching grant money to get the job done.
“We’ve had compliance…just not a lot,” said Mike Kennison of the city public works department, speaking at the April 10 Board of Public Works meeting.
Officials want to “drive home that this isn’t optional” for homeowners to complete the surveys. As such, if compliance with them doesn’t improve, there may a refundable fee attached to bills to incentivize homeowners to complete them and to prevent having to resort to more costly canvassing and other measures.
The committee is studying the idea of imposing a refundable fine, but it is still hoping compliance improves to prevent such a measure. The surveys are easy to do and essentially ask homeowners specific questions about the pipes leading to their homes. They also can be completed online at www.monroeleadsurvey.com. There, photos and detailed instructions guide homeowners through the relatively easy process.
According of the public works department employees have been placing door hangers on properties that haven’t responded to repeated requests, and have even resorted to going door-to-door to personally ask for compliance. But they say that that is a costly endeavor for the city
“It’s costing the city money to go door to door with these things,” said Committee Member Brooke Bauman.
Those with additional questions are asked to contact the city utility office at 608-329-2483 or 608-329-2485.
A $1 million federal grant is helping to pay for the phased replacement of lead lines in Monroe, with the city having to match it with a 20 percent local contribution, which adds up to about $255,000 officials said. The goal, officials said, is ultimately to replace about 7 percent of those lines each year, but finding them all is the first step.
The city is estimated to have around 500 suspected lead service lines, but the EPA is requiring localities to have them all inventoried by late 2024, officials said. It’s estimated there are about 200,000 lead lateral lines across Wisconsin. Some places are worse than others — according to some estimates, it could take 70 years to replace all of the lead lines in Milwaukee.
The EPA estimates that 9 million lead pipes currently deliver the drinking water into homes and businesses across the United States — putting millions at risk.
While its lead is toxic to all, developing fetuses, infants, and young children are at the greatest risk for lead poisoning because their nervous systems and bodies are developing quickly and more easily absorb the toxin. But adults are also at risk of lead impacts, particularly from cardiovascular disease that also has been linked to lead in drinking water.