By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The City of Great Bend is offering residents a $25 credit on their utility bill if they help the city fill out a questionnaire regarding a lead and copper survey. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants to make sure all lead and copper water pipes are replaced across the country. The EPA wants an inventory of every city’s water services by October 2024.
Great Bend Public Works Director Jason Cauley said the city
has records of permits dating back several decades, but a physical inspection
must be completed of not only at the water meter but also on the line coming
into the house.
"If we have to go verify something, we really don't want to be crawling under people's houses or going in people's houses," said Cauley. "We would probably just pothole a couple of feet outside the meter box to verify that line in the ground. For the homeowner, the EPA wants to know what is coming out of their foundation wall."
While the contaminants are not in the source water, they can enter tap water
through corrosion of service line piping and older household plumbing
materials. The questionnaire asks residents what pipe material is the service
line pipe entering the house, what year was your service line installed and
what size of pipe is the service line.
Great Bend City Council member Cory Urban
suggested the survey be available online for residents that pay their utility
bill digitally.
"It's very important that we get as many people to voluntarily do this because when it comes down to going on properties...that meter is where the city's responsibility stops," said Urban. "Walking into people's backyards...that's an issue to me."
Cauley said if all residents take advantage of the $25 credit for filling out
the survey, the city is looking at a $168,000 loss in revenue. Surveys must be
returned to the city by Aug. 31 to receive the credit.