Brainerd Public Utilities Commission Talks About Lead Service Line Assessment

The Brainerd Public Utilities Commission had a healthy discussion about their lead service line inventory assessment during their monthly meeting on Tuesday.

BPU initiated the citywide inventory to determine whether homeowners’ water service lines are copper, lead, galvanized and requiring replacement, or unknown, as each type needs to be replaced, excluding copper lines. However some on the commission showed concern that residents will misidentify them.

“What if the pictures or the information that the residents are providing isn’t truthful or accurate? Or maybe the pictures weren’t of their property?” asked Dolly Matten, Brainerd Public Utilities Commission Chair. “It would behoove the residents to actually accurately identify their service lines because there will be funding potentially to help the homeowners and property owners specifically to replace those lines in the very near future.”

BPU will continue letting residents manually send in pictures of their service lines so the commission can create an accurate record to manage and limit potential lead and copper exposure.