Bourbon Council Receives Bids For Lead Service Line Inventory

The city of Bourbon on May 21 opened several bids on lead service line inventory.

Companies from around the country submitted bids on the project.

The city did not award a bid, but will instead check the references of each bidder.

A meeting is set for June 4 at 7 p.m. to make the award.

Council members seemed to have the most interest in Byrne & Jones, which has a location in Missouri.

Lead service line inventory must be maintained as part of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance that was issued in 2022.

EPA and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are providing guidance for communities to develop their initial lead service line inventory.

According to a document released by DNR, the initial lead service line inventory must be completed by Oct. 16, 2024.

DNR says funding for creating an initial inventory is available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIF).

BIF contained $15 billion to identify and replace lead service lines across the United States.

The city did not specify how it intended to pay for the inventory.

Bids came in at or near $200,000.

The cheapest bid was from All Clear Plumbing at $179,500.

The EPA says the most common sources of lead in drinking water are service lines that carry water to a home or building from the public water main.

Using leaded pipe and solder has been banned in plumbing since 1986 and Missouri instituted a lead ban in 1989.

Gov. Mike Parson signed a bill in 2022 — Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water — which aims to remediate all sources of drinking water in schools that contain lead.

Schools must have all remediation in place by the start of the 2024-25 school year.