Sterling shows up on list of cities still needing lead pipes replaced – The Fort Morgan Times

According to a recent article by Fresh Water News, Fort Morgan and Sterling are on a list of 23 communities in Colorado that need to have their lead water pipes replaced.

Federal law requires these cities to identify and replace all contaminated pipes by 2037, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The communities on the list are: Sterling, Denver Water, Manitou Springs, Steamboat Springs, Georgetown, Grand Junction, Golden, Ft. Morgan, Englewood, Loveland, Aurora, Yampa, Flager, Lafayette, Limon, Bristol Water and Sanitation District, Pueblo Water, Eckley, Parkville Water District, Silver Plume, Greeley, Morgan County Quality Water District, Lost Valley Ranch Corp.

George Good, public works director for Sterling, said the city began replacing lead pipes between the city's water mains and water meters in 2013 and still needs to replace about 153 lines. It can take as little as half a day if a new pipe can be pulled in while the old one is pulled out, but much longer if the pipe has to be dug up.

“Sometimes these lines go over and under other things like sewer lines, and those can't be pulled through,” Good said.

Lead water pipes were commonly used until the 1980s, when they were banned by the EPA. Although the water entering the pipes may be clean, the erosion of aging pipes causes lead to seep into the water. According to CDPHE, no levels of lead are considered safe for children and can cause serious health problems in adults.

Good said he was surprised to see only 23 communities on the list.

In addition to replacing utility lines, the city is conducting water sampling at various homes and businesses around Sterling to check for lead contamination. So far, Good said, no samples have shown lead levels above the federal limit.

The project began with a survey of all of the city's approximately 4,800 water meters. While this was a significant task for Sterling, it was a monumental effort for larger cities. According to Seth Clayton, executive director of Pueblo Water, cities have until November 2025 to complete the identification process.

“It took a significant amount of effort to complete the initial inventory,” Clayton said, “and then we sent out 22,000 letters to customers saying their service line type was unknown and could lead.” the misinformation caused a bit of panic. But the call volume and the time we spend on customer service are decreasing.”

To fund the testing and replacement work, the EPA awarded the state $32.8 million this year. It's part of a $2.6 billion national replacement initiative funded by the federal bipartisan infrastructure bill.

Even before the new mandate to replace all lead pipes was issued, the EPA ordered cities like Denver to begin replacement programs because some lead had been detected in the water delivered to homes, violating federal standards at the time. Denver Water has removed 30,000 pipes and another 30,000 still need to be removed, according to agency spokesman Todd Hartma