Mayor Bauman has requested that I respond to your e-mail of September 12, 1999, on her behalf. I will respond to each issue below, in the order they were presented in your transmittal.

1. How do you distinguish galvanized iron or steel pipes from lead?

Galvanized steel pipe and lead can look similar, especially when they are corroded. Both will have a gray color. The easiest way to tell the difference is to hold a refrigerator magnet against the metal. The magnet will be attracted to galvanized steel, but will not attract to lead. In addition, lead pipe bends easily and thus it will have no angle joints or connectors. With galvanized steel, each angle change in the pipe will be at an angle joint with a joint connector.

2. Has anyone considered cooperation to reduce the cost of replacing their old water supply pipe?

Cooperative bidding of services in a neighborhood would very likely be beneficial. The Water Utility will take that into consideration when it develops its schedules for lead service replacements. The schedules will group properties in areas and neighborhoods, so that neighbors may take advantage of group bidding if they wish.

3. It should be cheaper if construction is scheduled during nice weather or slow periods for the local construction industry.

Unfortunately, nice weather and slow periods for the local construction industry may be mutually exclusive. In order to address this issue, the Water Utility intends to schedule lead service replacements over a ten year period so that the workload can be spread out as evenly as possible. This will hopefully allow the available pool of contractors to replace all the lead service lines within the time period mandated by law. We will also provide sufficient notice to property owners of the deadlines for lead line replacement on their property so that they will not be forced to replace a lead service during winter conditions. The proposed ordinance provides for deadlines to be deferred December through March on the basis of weather constraints.

4. Does this proposed ordinance change only require replacing lead pipes that are buried outside?

The proposed ordinance only addresses the lead service line from the water meter (usually located in the basement of a home) to the shut off valve near the property line (usually between the sidewalk and the curb). Other pipes, solders and fixtures inside the home are not affected. (Our studies have shown that these are minor contributors of lead in tap water and that replacing the lead service lines will resolve the problem.) Lead pipes or solder on the wastewater side of the system are not a concern.

5. Has anyone considered fighting their own fires or supplying their own drinking water if the electricity goes off for more than one day, during January?

In conjunction with a program offered by MG&E, the Water Utility is in the process of installing nine generators at key unit wells throughout our system. These generators are expected to be in place and operational by the end of the year. This power backup system is designed to provide adequate water service throughout the system for fire protection and domestic use in the event of a major regional power outage.

I hope this answers your questions and responds to your concerns. If you would like additional clarification, feel free to contact me.

David Denig-Chakroff

General Manager

Madison Water Utility

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