New Online Tool Helps Minnesotans See If Lead Pipes Carry Drinking Water

There is a new online tool for Minnesotans to check to see if their drinking water is being carried through lead pipes or not. The online tool is a map created by the University of Minnesota, that has the ability to zoom in on specific properties and also highlight which communities could have potential issues down the road if the pipes aren't replaced.

According to a Star Tribune article about the map, "it identifies 88,368 lead lines across the state today, but there are gaps in the data — the status of 281,233 lines across Minnesota, or about 19% of the total, is still unknown. It does not show information about private well users."

Looking at the online map it shows that several area cities in Central Minnesota have some lead service lines in them. Here is what the map has to say about the number of lead service lines in the communities around St. Cloud.

St. Cloud - 1,034

Waite Park - 51

Sauk Rapids - 289

St. Joesph - 3

Avon - 3

Rice - 1

Foley - 120

Paynesville - 74

As it stands with St. Cloud residents affected by lead service lines the city website outlines what steps are being taken.

St. Cloud is working to address lead service lines in our community and reduce lead exposure from drinking water. Current activities include:

• At the recommendation of MDH, St. Cloud uses phosphate and maintains a target of pH 9.2 in drinking water to optimize corrosion control treatment in the distribution system. This reduces the amount of metals that can leach from pipes.
• Lead and Copper monitoring is completed according to MDH’s schedule; most recent results are included in the Water Quality Report. Sampling is anticipated to be completed in 2025.
• Currently, St. Cloud replaces lead or galvanized service lines during planned construction projects. Moving forward, St. Cloud is planning projects that primarily focus on service line replacement.

What's St. Cloud's 2023 water quality like?

St. Cloud's 2023 Water Quality Report, which you can find linked, shows that St. Cloud "is the first municipality to use the Mississippi River as a source for drinking water. The drinking water provided to customers continues to meet and exceed drinking water quality requirements set by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)."

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According to the Center's for Disease Control website, there is "no safe blood level has been identified for young children. All sources of lead exposure for children should be controlled. Lead can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels. The EPA has set the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water at zero. Lead is a toxic metal that is persistent in the environment and can accumulate in the body over time."

The CDC also adds:

"Your local water authority is always your first source for testing and identifying lead contamination in your tap water. Ask your water provider if there is a lead service line providing water to your home. If there is a lead service line present, ask if there are any programs to assist with removal of the lead service line going to your home. Individual risks to lead exposure increases while the work is ongoing and for up to six months after the work is completed. This includes while the water main or service line is being replaced."

The Environmental Protection Agency announced back in May that Minnesota would get $86 million to help offset the costs of replacing a lead service line, which typically costs somewhere around $7,000-9,000.