Public Works to perform lead pipe inventory

Kalispell City Council received a briefing Monday from Department of Public Works staff on changing federal and state drinking water regulations as well as what steps must be taken to comply with the new standards.

Chief among the department’s to-do list is a thorough inventory of Kalispell’s service lines to determine how many contain lead or lead fixtures. The service line is the portion of pipe that connects the water main to a consumer’s premises.

Congress prohibited lead pipes in new construction in 1986 but allowed those already in the ground to remain in place. Now, the EPA is lowering lead testing thresholds, which requires utilities to find, and eventually replace, lead pipes.

Public Works Director Susie Turner believes that many still exist in Kalispell, especially in the town’s historic residential neighborhoods, but lacks a firm estimate for how many remain and an idea of their locations.

The utility will be taking a multi-pronged approach to identifying lead pipes, including reviewing building plans, using magnets to test for pipe composition and inspecting for certain fixture types that are known to include lead.

Public Works has until October 2024 to complete the inventory and make a recommendation to council about replacing the lines. Public Works also is required to inform affected customers that lead service lines have been identified.

Councilor Sid Daoud expressed concerns about the cost of replacing the pipes, and on whom that burden would fall.

“What’s the fine for not complying?” Daoud asked.

City Manager Doug Russell voiced how important he felt it was for the city to get ahead of the issue. Doing so might dampen any tax hike on residents in the long run, he said.

“It’s good to do the inventory quickly because [federal] funds may become available to fund replacement,” Russell noted.

ALSO PART of the briefing were updated regulations on manganese and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

According to Turner, the levels set for manganese are advisory, but the state Department of Environmental Quality does require testing at water sources. DEQ funds these tests, and the city’s previous tests have shown negligible levels.

PFAS are a broad category of manmade compounds that are used in a large variety of commercial and industrial applications, including firefighting, non-stick polymers and food packaging. They were previously part of soaps and detergents, according to Turner.

According to the EPA, the chemical nature of PFAS means they break down very slowly, and they efficiently seep into ground and surface water. Exposure at certain levels is bad for health, and the compounds amass in people over time. Final rules on testing, filtering and disposal of PFAS are expected from the EPA in fall 2023.

There are more than 5,000 known compounds in the family, but only 40 can be currently tested for with any accuracy, said Turner, and only at levels well above the agency’s interim advisory levels, the amount at which they are believed to cause harm.

Kalispell’s Armory well site has tested positive for PFOS, one of the compounds, but only for a small amount of 3.3 parts per trillion, which is below the mandated reporting threshold. The interim advisory level for the compound is currently set at 0.02 parts per trillion. The Public Works Department will test wells again in 2023.

The source of the PFOS found in the armory well remains unknown, but the chemical has been found elsewhere near airports and military installations due to applications in training and firefighting.

City Council meets again next Monday for their regularly scheduled meeting, and then for another work session on water standards Nov. 28.

Reporter Adrian Knowler can be reached at 758-4407 or aknowler@dailyinterlake.com.