ELY- The city of Ely is looking for information from all its residents on their water intake lines. The payoff will be a free replacement if an intake line is found to be made of lead. The Minnesota Department of Health’s lead service line replacement funding program will replace lead intake lines at no cost to residents. But to obtain those free replacements, the city needs to identify the materials used in each intake line.
“We can get the money through the Department of Health,” said Ely Clerk-Treasurer Harold Langowski. “Then, we can get those lead lines replaced at no charge, all the way from the house to the meeting point (with the water main) all the way to the middle of the street or the alley. The cost will be entirely covered by grant funds.”
The Ely Utilities Commission is sending a notice to every water customer with instructions on how to identify the material in their intake line. The test is simple: find the water intake and scratch it with a knife. If the scratch is reddish, it’s copper. If the scratch is silver-colored, its either lead or iron. If a magnet sticks to the intake pipe, it’s iron. The instructions go on to ask that the customer take a picture of the scratch—and magnet if applicable—to document the intake material.
Al Forsman, the city council liaison to the utilities commission said the notice will be mailed with the monthly utility bill. He cautioned that the envelope may look like junk mail, so residents will want to be aware. “I will point out that if you’re used to seeing your billing postcard in the mail, this looks like a card but in an envelope so you may not think it’s valid mail—so watch for an envelope with your postcard this month.”
Langowski said that customers should receive their mailed notice by June 1 and that the city needs the information back from residents by June 14. If you don’t receive a notice, contact the Ely utilities for a replacement.
Customers may also have the city collect the water intake information by contacting Jason, the city’s water meter technician at 218-235-3080.