Lead Service Line Inventory Program

Updated Efforts:

As of early 2024, city staff were able to complete an inventory of homes within the city-provided district. The total count for these homes with lead service lines was 202. As the city continues replacement as they have been discovered since the 1990s, crews have been able to complete and make progress toward the replacement of all city-owned lead service lines. City crews will continue to contact these homeowners and anyone with questions may reach out to water@gjcity.org.

Early City Efforts to Replace Lead Services Lines

The City began a lead service line inspection and replacement program in 2018 focusing on areas of downtown where lead service lines are more likely to be found due to older building construction. On December 16, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put into effect the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) to support plans to reduce lead in drinking water. The rule requires that water providers develop an inventory of lead service lines and a replacement plan by October 16, 2024.

In early 2022 after EPA passed the new rule, City crews began focusing efforts on completing the lead service line inventory across the City’s water service area. To date, the City has inventoried 1,000 properties and identified 84 lead service lines on the city side of the meter and 47 on the customer end. Based on the policy framework issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE), which is responsible for administering the program, the City estimates that an additional 1,000 properties will need to be inspected.

All service lines within the area between 1st and 19th Streets and North and South Avenues will be inspected based on the older ages of building construction that have the potential for having lead service lines. In addition, a representative number of service lines outside this area with building construction earlier than 1968 will be inspected using the predictive modeling approach required by CDPHE. View the map of Grand Junction homes that have been inspected.

In 1967, the City of Grand Junction issued an ordinance that required that all service lines be made copper, so homes built after 1967 do not have lead pipes and will not be inspected. City crews will be inspecting service lines as weather permits.

The City conducts regular water quality monitoring throughout the distribution system, including testing for lead. The results indicate that lead is below the action level regulated by agencies. If you have concerns about your water quality, City water customers may request a free water quality test by contacting water@gjcity.org.

This page serves as a tool for community members to learn about the process of inspecting lead service lines and to answer community member questions!

Lead Service Line Inventory and Replacement Plan

In addition to completing the inventory, the City will be developing a lead service line replacement plan for submittal to the CDPHE by October 16, 2024. While the City is currently only responsible for replacing the City-owned service line between the meter and the main, the City will assist customers with the replacement of the customer-owned water line between the meter and the building. The City has purchased specialized equipment that will enable City crews to replace the service lines at a reasonable cost to the property owner. Where applicable, service line replacements will be scheduled in coordination with any planned water main replacements to minimize disruptions.