Salina Faces Federal Lead Service Line Requirements With Cost, Timeline Still Uncertain

Salina Utilities Director Martha Tasker told the City Commission on Sept. 28 that the city is working to identify and eventually replace lead service lines under an Environmental Protection Agency requirement, but that funding responsibility and timelines remain unresolved.

Tasker said the city has been reviewing water tap records for years to identify publicly and privately owned lead service lines. She said about 500 lines fall within the effort, and that on the public side roughly 350 are identified as lead while about 150 are unknown and must be assumed to be lead given their age. She said the private-side number is lower.

She said there is a requirement by 2027 to have an understanding of the numbers and a program in place, and that the city files an annual report with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which ultimately goes to the EPA. The public side runs from the meter to the water main, while the private side runs from the meter to the home.

Tasker said the city has not replaced any service lines to homes at city expense to date. She described difficulty obtaining information on privately owned lines, noting that during recent lead and copper sampling staff contacted roughly 100 locations to secure 30 confirmed lead service line homes for testing. She said the EPA requires the city to make four documented attempts to obtain information from property owners.

Commissioners asked whether federal or state funding would cover the work. Tasker said funding is not clearly defined and that national estimates run into billions of dollars, with discussion focused on whether the federal government would assist with the private side. She said the long-term intent is a plan to remove lead service lines over a period that has been discussed as roughly 20 years, though whether that timeframe is feasible for all communities remains under debate.