El Campo public works completes water line safety review

“Many different materials have been used since 1927. Majority of these are copper or the black plastic water lines contractors used during installation in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Use of lead was banned in the 80s and Texas was never a big proponent,” Public Works Director Kevin Thompson told the Leader-Journal.

The city does a lead line survey every three years in compliance with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regulations.

Most of that testing in done through records and periodic water sampling at 30 customer sites to check lead levels round in the water.

“Each of those customers collects a sample from the cold water tap in the kitchen or bathroom and submits it to the City for analysis of lead and copper by a state-certified laboratory. The results of those tests are collectively used to determine compliance for the water system overall. In the twenty Years Director Jerry Lewis has been doing this - NO samples have been out of compliance,” Thompson said.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency added another required review regarding lead and copper lines November 2023, requiring a survey of service lines by Oct. 16.

In El Campo, that survey found 426 of roughly 4,900 service lines, all built before 1983, with unknown material.

 “In my 33 years working for the city, we have only found two services that were lead and both were not connected to a meter or in use,” said Thompson who previously worked on water line crews before his promotion to public works director.

The unidentified lines were hand-checked by public works crews who dug up meter connections.

“This was done in response to the Flint Michigan corrosive water that caused lead to leach out of the old service lines and enter the homes. El Campo is BLESSED with extremely stable water,” Thompson said.