Missouri American Water Investing $100 Million in 2024 to Identify and Remove Lead Service Lines
Missouri American Water is working to identify and remove all lead customer service lines in the communities it serves by 2030, which is a voluntary goal that goes above and beyond current federal requirements.
Staying ahead of these federal requirements, this year the company will invest $100 million to identify and replace lead and galvanized steel service lines across the state.
“Identifying and replacing lead service lines is an important part of our capital program for the next several years,” said Rich Svindland, president of Missouri American Water. “Our focus has always been providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable water service to our customers, and we’re proud of our proactive approach on this issue.”
Inventory
Identifying where lead service lines are located is no small feat.
In some communities, including St. Louis County, customers historically owned the entire service line, so a utility may not have a record of the service line material, and existing records may be out of date if the homeowner replaced the line.
The only way to properly identify the material of a service line is to visually inspect it. This can be done inside the home at the shut-off valve or by digging up the line outside via hydro-excavation or potholing.
Properties built before 1930 have the highest likelihood of having a lead service line. After that year, it became a less commonly used material and was prohibited in 1988 with Missouri’s adoption of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Missouri American Water launched an interactive service line inventory map for its service areas that displays known service line material. Customers can self-report their service line material if it hasn’t been identified or request a professional inspection of their line material.
Replacement
Missouri American Water will replace the entire service line, including the customer-owned portion, if any part of the line contains lead or galvanized steel. The company worked collaboratively with regulators and lawmakers to be able to perform this work at no direct cost to the homeowner.
The company is systematically working through its service territory, starting with areas with known high concentrations of lead service lines. So far, Missouri American Water has replaced about 10,000 lead service lines across the state, including about 8,000 in St. Louis County.
“We’ve been making really great progress in St. Louis County,” said Christopher Parrish, engineering manager for Missouri American Water’s lead service line program. “Local officials and community leaders have been very helpful in spreading the word about our replacement program as we work our way through their area.”
Customers can learn more about the company’s lead service line program, self-report the material of their side of the service line, or request an inspection here.
Missouri American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest regulated water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and wastewater services to approximately 1.6 million people.
Missouri American Water is working to identify and remove all lead customer service lines in the communities it serves by 2030, which is a voluntary goal that goes above and beyond current federal requirements.
Staying ahead of these federal requirements, this year the company will invest $100 million to identify and replace lead and galvanized steel service lines across the state.
“Identifying and replacing lead service lines is an important part of our capital program for the next several years,” said Rich Svindland, president of Missouri American Water. “Our focus has always been providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable water service to our customers, and we’re proud of our proactive approach on this issue.”
Inventory
Identifying where lead service lines are located is no small feat.
In some communities, including St. Louis County, customers historically owned the entire service line, so a utility may not have a record of the service line material, and existing records may be out of date if the homeowner replaced the line.
The only way to properly identify the material of a service line is to visually inspect it. This can be done inside the home at the shut-off valve or by digging up the line outside via hydro-excavation or potholing.
Properties built before 1930 have the highest likelihood of having a lead service line. After that year, it became a less commonly used material and was prohibited in 1988 with Missouri’s adoption of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Missouri American Water launched an interactive service line inventory map for its service areas that displays known service line material. Customers can self-report their service line material if it hasn’t been identified or request a professional inspection of their line material.
Replacement
Missouri American Water will replace the entire service line, including the customer-owned portion, if any part of the line contains lead or galvanized steel. The company worked collaboratively with regulators and lawmakers to be able to perform this work at no direct cost to the homeowner.
The company is systematically working through its service territory, starting with areas with known high concentrations of lead service lines. So far, Missouri American Water has replaced about 10,000 lead service lines across the state, including about 8,000 in St. Louis County.
“We’ve been making really great progress in St. Louis County,” said Christopher Parrish, engineering manager for Missouri American Water’s lead service line program. “Local officials and community leaders have been very helpful in spreading the word about our replacement program as we work our way through their area.”
Customers can learn more about the company’s lead service line program, self-report the material of their side of the service line, or request an inspection here.
Missouri American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest regulated water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and wastewater services to approximately 1.6 million people.