Staff with the City of Grand Junction expects to soon complete a plan to replace lead water service lines.

Under rules implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce lead in drinking water, water providers must develop an initial lead service line inventory and a lead service line replacement plan. City staff plan to complete a plan by Oct. 16 to submit to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

Over the last year, city staff have inspected 1,000 service lines and identified 85 lead service lines on the city side of water meters and 47 lead service lines on the customer side of meters. Based on a draft policy issued by the CDPHE, service lines located on an additional 1,000 property parcels must be inspected.

All service lines within the area between First and 19th Streets and North and South Avenues will be inspected based on the older age of the building construction that has the potential for having lead service lines. In addition, a representative number of service lines outside this area with building construction earlier than 1987 will be inspected using the predictive modeling approach stipulated by CDPHE. In 1986, lead pipes were banned in the United States, and plumbing materials were required to meet federal lead-free specifications. Homes built after 1987 don’t have lead pipes or require inspections.

While the city is only responsible for replacing city-owned service lines between the meter and the main, the city will assist customers with replacement of customer-owned water lines between the meter and buildings. The city has purchased specialized equipment that will enable crews to replace service lines. Where applicable, service line replacements will be scheduled in coordination with water main replacements to minimize disruptions.

The city conducts water quality monitoring throughout its distribution system and issues an annual water quality report. Lead is one of the parameters routinely monitored.

According to the 2022 water quality report, the 90th percentile of all the samples collected was 9.5 parts per billion, below the regulatory action level of 15 parts per billion. The city will continue monitoring for lead to meet regulations.