Residents might have to choose: safer drinking water or money?

It might be up to Iowa homeowners to decide whether to replace lead water pipes that go to their houses, despite a new edict from federal regulators.

And they might have to pay thousands of dollars for the work.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week announced a requirement to eliminate all lead-containing pipes from community water supply systems, with a deadline of 2037.

The EPA's explanation of the updated regulations includes, in part: "Even if it is located on private property, … the water system must replace the service line."

But there is a big caveat: Homeowners, under most circumstances, can say “no.”

"You have to have willing property owners," said Corey McCoid, a water supply operations supervisor for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. "You're going to have to get into the house, have to potentially dig up their front yard."

That is the current situation. But cities could potentially adopt ordinances that would force homeowners to participate in the replacements. Utilities could threaten to shut off water service.

  Buy Photo

"Those are big steps to take, frankly," said Ted Corrigan, the chief executive of Des Moines Water Works. "We haven't decided yet what to do. … We definitely believe that replacing lead service lines is the right way to go."

In lieu of forcing private property owners, the utilities will need to make at least four attempts — using at least two types of communication — to gain approval before abandoning the efforts.

Lead is a dangerous neurotoxin that can cause permanent brain damage, most worryingly in children.

The effect of the EPA rule will vary widely by community. Some cities might have no remaining lead pipes — their installation was banned decades ago. Some have pipes that are wholly or partially owned by residents.

And then there's the money.

Cedar Rapids estimates it might have more than 9,000 service lines — or about 17 percent of its total lines — that are either made of lead or galvanized iron that can leach it.

The estimated replacement cost per line is about $7,500, said Dave Wallace, the city’s utilities engineering manager.

  Buy Photo

Who will pay?

How those costs will be paid is in limbo. The federal government has already committed billions of dollars to the effort nationally, including $45 million to Iowa each year for five years in partially forgivable loans.

It's unclear yet whether the grant and loan money might cover all the work in Cedar Rapids, or whether some of the costs to replace private lines will be borne by individual homeowners or the city as a whole.

Cedar Rapids residents typically own the water lines between their house and a shut-off valve, and the city owns the line from the valve to the larger water main.

Most of the affected lines are in the older neighborhoods of the city, Wallace said.

"It gets tricky with the homeowner owning a portion of it," he said. "We haven't really fully digested the new rule that came out."

For decades the city has added minerals to its drinking water to prevent lead from leaching into it. The city further tests tap water at more than 50 locations annually to ensure it meets federal health requirements.

Other cities

Central City, a town of about 1,200 northeast of Cedar Rapids, has removed perhaps all of its lead service lines during street replacements and other projects in past years, said Trevyn Cunningham, its public works director.

"My anticipation at this point is that we aren't going to have any lead in Central City," he said. "That's no guarantee — you never know what you're going to run into at the next house."

He estimates the city has surveyed about 80 percent of its lines so far.

Water utilities are required to report their number of lead service lines to the DNR next week. Those inventories are a requirement the EPA issued three years ago as a precursor to the new directive to remove the lines.

Those lines can be tricky to identify because they are buried. Sometimes the lines are surveyed during other work that requires excavation, but cities will likely need the assistance of residents to identify the rest, either by reporting it themselves or allowing a city employee into their homes.

Nearly 2,900 — or 10 percent — of Iowa City's service lines might contain lead, said Jonathan Durst, its water superintendent. But the vast majority of those have yet to be positively identified.

Durst estimates that replacement costs will average between $10,000 and $14,000. It's likely the city will split the costs with affected residents.

Des Moines Water Works' distribution system has up to 20,000 lead service lines, which is about a quarter of its total. Corrigan, its chief executive, estimates the total cost for replacement to be $200 million.

"We're working hard to find money," he said. "I know that there will not be enough federal funding to replace all the lead service lines in Des Moines."

A newly formed coalition of Iowa cities with significant numbers of lead pipes plans to push state lawmakers to provide $50 million over 10 years to help pay for the work, Corrigan said.

The cities also seek a requirement for lead service lines to be disclosed during property transactions, so that they can identify more of them.

“It's going to be a big project, and a challenging project,” Corrigan said.

Olivia Cohen of The Gazette contributed to this report.

Comments: (319) 368-8541; jared.strong@thegazette.com