Kalispell Council questions use of city funds for lead line replacement

Despite assurances that replacing lead service lines won’t increase water rates, Kalispell City Council remains skeptical about using money that may be needed for future projects to replace such lines.  

Councilors discussed funding options during a work session on Monday ahead of an anticipated Environmental Protection Agency mandate to replace all lead service lines in the city by 2037. The EPA has already required a comprehensive inventory of all service lines with a deadline of Oct. 16.  

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

Public Works Director Susie Turner said replacement could be funded through the city’s Water Fund and doing so would not increase rates.  

Of the over 10,000 lines inventoried by the city, 49 pipes were classified as lead and 79 as galvanized also requiring replacement, according to data provided by Turner. There are 715 lines that have yet to be identified. 

Historically, the city has serviced damaged piping that exists from the water main to the curb, but “we don’t typically go into private property on a lot of our projects,” Turner said.   

Public Works staff presented two funding options to council during an August work session, which council resumed discussion on Monday night.  

One option was through a loan from the State Revolving Fund. The city would immediately receive 60% loan forgiveness but incur 40% of the debt with interest. Turner 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 not increase rates. 

The other option was for the homeowner with a lead service line to pay the full cost of replacement, whether through deferred payment to the city or through individually hiring a contractor and fronting the cost.  

Turner estimated a cost range of $5,000 to $17,000 to replace a service line, taking into account a range of variables including structures that may exist on top of a pipe.    

Councilors Sid Daoud, Chad Graham and Sam Nunnally voiced concern over pulling money from future projects and potentially having to increase rates down the line.   

“We’re basically taking everybody in Kalispell and helping the few that have this lead line issue,” Daoud said. “When in history it’s been up to the homeowner to take care of that portion of the line. We are still losing almost $1.5 million.” 

Projecting through 2028, Turner said that the debt incurred by the city may influence the fund because it was an unanticipated project.  

“It does take away a project that we potentially would have done,” she said. “There is only so much money that we can deal with.”  

Councilor Ryan Hunter was a proponent for taking advantage of the loan, which Turner said has a timeline and will not always be available.  

“I think this is an unaddressed, longstanding emergency for the city,” Hunter said, who noted lead exposure’s adverse health effects on children.   

Low levels of exposure in children have been linked to damage to the cental and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing among other issues, according to the EPA. 

Homeowners may be unaware of their lead piping and be forced to decide to keep their lead piping because they can’t afford replacement or face a substantial water bill, Hunter said.  

According to Erica Wirtala, public affairs director at Northwest Montana Association of Realtors, realtors do not look for problems regarding lead in the water supply, and therefore can’t disclose such problems to potential buyers.  

“But they do recommend that they get a home inspection report,” Wirtala said.  

Barry Wilkins of Glacier Home Inspections said that the company will test for lead among other chemicals for certain loan packages. The samples, which are sent to a lab for testing, will determine whether there is lead in the home’s water supply.  

“It's up to buyer and buyer’s agent to revert to the listing and the seller to ask them for remediation of the pipes,” he said.  

Wilkins said that if his reports find harmful chemicals, it will “recommend further evaluation by a qualified contractor.” 

No matter what option is chosen, the city would be required under EPA mandate to attempt to convince a homeowner to replace their line, according to Turner. But if a new homeowner comes in, the process restarts.  

“A person may deny the changeover because they can’t afford it. Well, we don’t want people keeping lead in their system when they might have kids in the house because they can’t afford it,” Hunter said. 

If the replacement cost were to be incurred by a homeowner through the city, the expense could be added to their water bill, and not paying bills results in a water shut-off, according to Turner. 

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