Kalispell nearing completion of lead service line inventory

Kalispell is nearing completion of the municipality’s water service line inventory — per a federal mandate — but the material hundreds of lines are made up of remains unknown.

Out of roughly 10,000 water service lines inventoried, 41 were found to be lead, 15 were made of galvanized material and 573 lines are listed as unknown, according to a report from City Manager Doug Russell.  

City officials will continue identifying the unknown lines over the next year, he wrote in the report.      

After conducting surveys and reviewing building plans, those remaining service lines must be dug up to be identified, said Councilor Ryan Hunter, who has argued for using federal dollars to cover the cost of replacing lead lines. 

The city will begin notifying residents if their service lines are made of lead, galvanized material or are still unknown. The locations of the lines can be found on the city’s Public Works page. Most of the identified lead pipes are in and around the city’s downtown area, primarily east of Main Street. 

Service lines are underground pipes that connect the city’s main water supply to a house’s internal plumbing. 

On Oct. 8, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a rule requiring drinking water systems nationwide to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years of 2027. 

Lead is a neurotoxin, and there is no safe level of lead exposure, particularly for children, according to the EPA. Lead can harm mental and physical development in children while adults exposed to lead have an increased risk of heart disease. 

Galvanized service lines, if downstream from lead pipes, can absorb the toxin and contaminate the drinking water.

In September, Council weighed options for funding the replacement of galvanized and lead pipes. Public Works Director Susie Turner said that the city could tap into $2.5 million from the State Revolving Fund. The city would immediately receive 60% loan forgiveness but incur 40% of the debt with interest.  

She projected that roughly $2.1 million would be forgiven and $1.4 million would be taken out of the city’s Water Fund, which she said would likely not increase rates.  

The money comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which President Joe Biden authorized in November 2021. The EPA announced $2.6 billion in newly available water infrastructure funding in October.   

Some councilors were skeptical of using city funds to replace the pipes, instead learning toward putting the cost on the homeowner. Turner said during the Council meeting that the cost of replacement could range from $5,000 to $17,000, depending on what structures exist on top of the pipe.  

Hunter, a proponent of tapping into the federal money, told the Inter Lake on Monday that the lead pipes are a community health issue and should be addressed by the city. 

“We need to be doing everything we can to get that exposure addressed,” he said. “The community as a whole benefits from healthy children who are not exposed to a toxin that affects their brain development and can have significant societal impacts.”  

Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-5507 and junderhill@dailyinterlake.com.