The following is a press release by Justin Meschter and Desiree DeMonlina by the City of Bloomington.
The City of Bloomington Utilities (CBU) has released a water service line inventory in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) guidelines for the updated Lead & Copper Rule. The service line inventory is available through 120Water, an Indiana- based company which partnered with IDEM to provide public-facing inventory access. The inventory displays up-to-date information about individual service line composition based on utilities records, plumbing code updates, field verifications, and computer learning models. A link to the CBU inventory is available on the utilities website at bloomington.in.gov/utilities/inventory, along with additional information about the service line inventory.
CBU began its “Let's Get the Lead Out!” program in 2022. The American Rescue Plan Act funded necessary equipment to implement the program. CBU has been working with contractors Arcadis and Blue Conduit to finalize and submit the initial inventory of over 54,000 service connections. EPA guidelines have the initial inventory due 10/16/2024 but water utilities were given allowance to categorize any service line as “unknown”; CBU currently lists approximately 11,000 unknown service lines. In the coming months, CBU will put together a comprehensive plan to finish identifying service line compositions around the city. Although the EPA has not released a due date to identify any unknown service lines, CBU will continue its proactive approach.
So far, only four service lines have been identified as lead. These, plus 100 galvanized lines, will need to be replaced. Over the next 10 years, as stipulated by the EPA under the direction of the Biden-Harris administration, CBU will replace all existing city-owned lead and galvanized service lines within the distribution system, and work with homeowners on replacing privately-owned lead service lines.
All CBU customers listed in the inventory as having lead, galvanized, or unknown service lines will receive a letter from CBU which will include information about their service line, how to request a water filter pitcher filter, and what the next steps will be. More information about the inventory, the health effects of lead in drinking water, and how to limit exposure to lead can be found at bloomington.in.gov/utilities/lead, or CBU customers can call 812-349-3655 or email wq@bloomington.in.gov with any questions.
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