City of Port continues search for lead water lines

The City of Port Washington is still trying to identify what materials make up 584 water lines that run from city streets to private homes, the Common Council was told last month.

It’s also working to identify 602 water mains to determine what they’re made of, Water Supt. Dan Fisher said.

In general, he said, half of those pipes are assumed to be lead.

That’s important because the city must identify which service lines are made of lead and galvanized steel next year, and by 2037 the city must begin replacing them.

The city has identified 349 lead service lines in the community and another five lead water mains, Fisher said.

While the city has been working toward eliminating the lead and galvanized pipes for some time, changing them out when roads are rebuilt, recent changes in federal and state regulations are pushing communities to move faster on those initiatives.

Lead in pipes is a concern because it can leach into the water, which is then ingested by people. Even low levels of exposure  have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing and impaired formation and function of blood cells.

As the city is working to identify the makeup of the so-called private and public pipes, it is also looking to develop a funding mechanism to replace these lines.

Fisher said that while the city is continuing its efforts to identify problem pipes, it is also working to come up with a replacement plan.

Part of that debate, he said, will include a discussion of whether the city will provide any funding to homeowners who need to replace their service lines.

The city is responsible for the cost of replacing the water mains, but homeowners are responsible for that portion of pipe leading from the street to their house.

Fisher told aldermen that the city has a number of options in terms of funding private line replacements. It could coordinate the replacement of these pipes when water mains are replaced, with homeowners either paying the full cost immediately or through a five-year special assessment.

It could also implement a mandatory program in which the city would hire a contractor to do the replacement work over three years, and homeowners would pay the cost over five years.

The third option is to have the city replace the water mains but not take steps to have homeowners replace the service lines.

“This is an option where we’d probably get less participation,” Fisher said, and would probably be more expensive for homeowners.

“These are options. They are not set in stone.” 

City Engineer Roger Strohm said homeowners can check their service pipes and self-report the materials.

“If you stick a magnet to a pipe and it holds, it’s a steel pipe, it’s galvanized. You want to get rid of it,” he said. “Take a nail and scratch it lightly. If you get a silver streak, it’s lead.”

Water department employees can also check the service pipes to determine the material, Fisher said.

People can also visit the city website, click on the water department, then the “Identify My Water Service Material” link where service pipe materials that have been identified can be checked, Fisher said.