Kalispell City Council to take second look at service line replacement funding

Kalispell City Council will be focused on heavy metal during its Monday work session.  

Council is expected to revisit funding options to replace all lead service lines in the city ahead of an anticipated Environmental Protection Agency mandate after tabling the discussion in August. 

The Sept. 23 meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E. 

Revisions to the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule have required public water systems to conduct tap sampling and submit a publicly accessible inventory of all service lines by Oct. 16. A service line is a pipe that connects a home’s internal plumbing to the city’s public water supply. 

During an Aug. 26 work session, Public Works Director Susie Turner said that the city identified and logged 10,000 service lines hooking into the municipal water system with about 600 left to go. 

The city also must give notice of lead or suspected lead in a customer's service line within 30 days of the October deadline. Turner said that Kalispell's lead count is well under the EPA’s limit of 10 micrograms per liter. 

Turner told Council she expects the EPA to adopt a rule requiring a complete lead service line replacement by 2037. She expected the project to cost $2.6 million and would see around 100 service lines replaced at roughly $20,000 per line.  

Several funding options were presented to Council during last month’s meeting, one of which was to apply for a loan from the State Revolving Rund. The loan would cover the project cost though the city would need to repay 40% of the total with interest. That money, estimated at $1.2 million, would come from the city’s Water Fund. The Water Fund is separate from the general fund.   

Councilors asked during last month’s meeting whether funding the project through the loan would increase rates. Turner said it was too early in the application process to tell, which led to Mayor Mark Johnson tabling the topic until more information could be provided. 

Staff will review the financial status of the Wander Fund if the city were to incur debt for lead line replacement, according to the agenda for Monday’s meeting.  

Another option would see the city front the cost of replacement but require customers possessing a lead service line to pay it back either at the time of construction or over five to eight years. 

Customers could also hire a contractor themselves and pay for the replacement, but the city will still be responsible for ensuring that the service lines are replaced if the rule were adopted.  

There is no safe level of lead in drinking water, according to the EPA. Lead exposure has been linked to decreases in IQ and attention span in infants and children. Adults exposed to lead have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure and kidney or nervous system problems, according to the EPA.  

The Public Works Department will be contacting homes and may request access to see main water meters or inspect home service lines, according to the Public Works Department’s website. The website also contains a link to an online survey for homeowners to fill out. 

Jack Underhill can be reached at junderhill@dailyinterlake.com 406-758-4407.