San Antonio Water System to apply for lead service line mapping loan

San Antonio City Council authorized the San Antonio Water System to apply for financial assistance for a lead service line mapping project during its Nov. 7 meeting.

The overview

SAWS will submit an application in an amount not to exceed $11.76 million to the Texas Water Development Board Lead Service Line Replacement Program. The funds will be used to develop an inventory of service lines on both the SAWS side of the meter and the customer’s side.

All financing from the program will be made at a 51% principal forgiveness, and loans from this program will have 0% interest. Bonds will also be set at a reduced rate depending on the project’s length, time of closing and structure of the project.

The SAWS project will use various measures to identify lead service lines, including historical documentation, identification of service line material at the meter box and inspections of internal plumbing throughout San Antonio.

The backstory

The LSLR program was authorized by the state’s Safe Drinking Water Act and provides low-cost financial assistance for water infrastructure.

Funds can be used for:

• Development or updating lead service line inventories, including locating and mapping
• Removal of lead service lines and replacing piping
• Nonroutine lead sampling