City of Denison Completes First Phase of Water Connection Inspections
Denison water customers to receive notices to help identify service line materials
Denison, Texas – The City of Denison has completed the first phase of required inspections for water connections across the city, as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR). The LCRR requires water utilities to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years, to ensure communities have access to clean drinking water.
A portion of inventory was required to be completed by October 16th, and the City of Denison is among 53% of cities in the state that successfully met this deadline. The City of Denison has 12,486 total water service connections. Currently city contractor, RJN Group, has inventoried around 6,286.
Public Works staff worked with RJN to prioritize and concentrate inspections in the oldest sections of the city in phase one. Out of the over 6,200 connections inventoried, RJN staff located 18 connections with lead pipes (.29%), and 70 connections with galvanized pipes (1.11%).
It is important to note, if your home was built after July of 1988, the likelihood of lead being in the pipes is extremely low due to the lead and lead related materials ban that was enacted as part of the Lead Contamination Control Act passed by Congress at that time.
As part of this ongoing program to identify and replace lead pipes, the City of Denison is sending notices to around 7,800 customers to inform them that their water service line is made of unknown materials. This number includes connections that have not yet been inspected, and connections that were not accessible during phase one. Anyone with a service line of unknown material will receive this notification letter by mail no later than November 15, 2024. Inspections for these locations will be completed in phase two of inventory.
Specific notices will also be sent to those with connections that include lead or galvanized pipes. Notices will NOT be sent to those whose service lines were inventoried and were confirmed to be made of non-lead materials in phase one.
The City of Denison, along with RJN Group, is working to continue the second and final phase of inspections and will begin necessary replacements as soon as possible.
A service line replacement plan has been developed and is currently in review for approval by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ. RJN will replace any lead service lines identified through the inventory and replacement program. The replacement will be from the water main to the building line of a home or business. This will be at no cost to Denison residents.
The City of Denison is one of fewer than 10 cities to apply for and be awarded $10 million in federal funding from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). These funds will be used to support the required inventory, replacement, and improvements related to lead and galvanized services.
Please visit the EPA’s website at: https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/review-national-primary-drinking-water-regulation-lead-and-copper for more information on LCRR.
For questions, you can reach the City of Denison Public Works at 903-465-2720 or find information on our FAQ portal here.