GREAT FALLS — Beginning this month, city engineering inspectors will be going door-to-door to about 5000 properties, both commercial and residential, to inspect water service lines.
Mark Juras, development review coordinator for the city of Great Falls public works department, explained the EPA mandated lead-copper rule requires all drinking water providers to take inventory of water service lines throughout the city.
“The EPA has legislated that all cities nationwide have to find lead service lines. The city has been composing an inventory of all of our water service lines; we have about 22,000 of them,” said Juras.
About 6,000 notices were sent out to addresses in November, and the city will be going door-to-door to those that did not respond.
“We just need to see it. Usually, it's in the basement and usually there's a shutoff valve and then a water meter right after where that water service line comes into the building. We can look at it, we can identify the material of it, and then we're done,” Juras explained.
After they have identified whether the water service line is lead, they will make note of it. In the future, the water service lines that are identified as lead will need to be replaced.
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“The lead and copper rule improvement identifies four different types of water service lines. You have lead, you have non-lead, you have galvanized, and you have unknown. An unknown service line, per the current language of the rule, count as lead until determined otherwise,” said Juras. “We have about 4,500 remaining residences and businesses in the city which are still of an unknown water service line material type.”
There is also the option to perform the inspection on your own. Information on how to do so and where to send the results will be left on the property’s door, as well as available on the City of Great Fall’s Public Works website.
The goal is for the city engineering inspectors to take inventory of as many properties as they can this winter; however, they will continue these efforts into the years to come if needed.
To learn more about the EPA Lead and Copper Rule, click here. For more information on the revision, click here.
For more information, call the City's Water Service Inventory Hotline at 406-455-8401, click here, or email waterserviceline@greatfallsmt.net.
