Abilene wins federal lead-service funds; council authorizes moving toward closing

Abilene's water utilities director reported the city completed an inventory required under the revised federal lead and copper rule and identified roughly 2,200 private-side galvanized service lines that qualify for replacement. The city won federal funds for inventory work ($426,000 principal forgiveness and a $410,000 interest-free loan) and is eligible for additional replacement funding including up to $3.7 million in principal forgiveness and $3.5 million in low-interest financing.

Matthew Dane told the council the inventory covered about 45,000 metered connections and that roughly 2,200 connections downstream of meters were flagged for replacement as galvanized material can absorb lead. He explained federal program rules, noted implementation complexities around replacing private service lines and required outreach and requests to property owners, and said closing on the Water Development Board funds would need to happen this calendar year. "If we replace all 2,200 lines, the full 3.7 [million] is what our estimate was to do every line," Dane said, and added that early indications from peers suggested only a minority of homeowners opt into replacement when asked. Council approved moving forward with closing on the funds and asked staff to return with program options and implementation timelines.