A federal organization recently announced funding to improve drinking water across the country.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports over $30 million has been allocated to Iowa to identify and remove lead water service lines in the state. This funding is part of $15 billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that was passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden.This funding will be made available through the EPA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund as grants and forgivable loans to find and remove lead lines to protect people from being exposed to lead in their water.

Jefferson City Administrator Scott Peterson says the city has been working since October of 2023 to get all connections within the city identified with the kind of material the water service line is made of. At a Jefferson Public Works Committee meeting in April, it was mentioned that there were 630 connections left to be identified, 1,262 lines were known, nine lines were lead, and 158 were galvanized. 

Peterson talks about the dangers that lead can have if it gets into water.

“Lead does have the capabilities to leach into water, under certain circumstances, and can pose some problems. I’m sure many of the public had heard about the problems in Flint, Michigan, and this was several years ago, but that’s the root of really the issue here. What spurs this on to take these really proactive measures about inventorying what we do have out there for lead service lines.”

Peterson urges anyone who hasn’t called City Hall or had a city employee check their water lines that go into their meters, to do that before this October’s deadline. Click the link below to be taken to a short survey to give that information, as well as a link to the EPA’s website with information about lead service lines. 

EPA: https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/engaging-community-lead-service-lines

Jefferson website: https://cityofjeffersoniowa.org/