Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
This ordinance authorizes the Director of Public Utilities to enter into a contract modification with Travco Construction, Inc., hereafter referred to as Travco, for the Lead Service Line Replacement - Pilot Program contract, CIP #690236-100178, in an amount up to $500,000.00.
The water distribution system is comprised of service lines owned by the City on the public side, and by individual property owners on the private side. The public side includes the part of the service line installed within the public right-of-way, and the private side includes the part of the service line running from the end of the public right-of-way to the structure on the property. The City excluded lead as an approved material for service lines in 1963. However, lead service lines currently exist in both the public and private side of the City service lines due to installation prior to the exclusion. The public health and safety is endangered by the ingestion of drinking water that contains lead. The use of a lead service line to deliver drinking water from a water main to a residence, business, school, or other building or structure, increases the risk of lead content in the water. The continued use of lead service lines for an indefinite period of time, without a systematic plan for replacing those lead lines, is a threat to the health and safety of the utility customers as well as the residents, occupants, and visitors to the City.
The US EPA mandated that lead water lines be removed from a utility’s water distribution system and that the utility is responsible for replacing both the private and public parts of the lead water lines. Within the City’s water distribution system, the property owner is responsible for the private part of the water line and the Department of Public Utilities does not perform work on the private part. Ordinance 1648-2024, passed by City Council on 6/24/24, authorized the establishment of a Lead Service Line Rep...
Click here for full text