(Des Moines, IA) -- The Des Moines Water Works is in the beginning stages of trying to replace all of the remaining lead water service lines in the city.
"We're trying to identify specifically what properties have lead service lines or have lines we can't confirm are not lead." Corrigan said. He says after the inventory, they plan to notify property owners owners who might have a lead line feeding water to their property.
"We'll be communicating with all the customers who have service lines that are known to be lead, or that are of unknown material, we'll be letting them know that by the end of this year."
Corrigan also says they are also trying to establish guidelines for ownership transfer in the state legislature, so that new homeowners will know about the presence of the lines.
The replacement project started as a pilot program last year in the River Bend Neighborhood and later expanded to the King Irving Neighborhood, immediately to the west. Corrigan says as part of the pilot project, they were able to replace a total of 87 service lines in both neighborhoods.
Currently, the Water Works is applying for federal grants to help with replacement costs, and has also been assisting some homeowners by paying half the cost. The total cost for replacement is around $10,000, according to Corrigan.
The presence of the line is not of immediate health concern, but replacement comes in lieu of it becoming a future liability.
Homeowners who think they might have a lead service line to their property can search at the Des Moines Water website.