Kistrian Eller, water‑quality supervisor at the San Antonio Water System (SAWS), told the SAWS Board that the utility is creating a service‑line inventory to identify lead and galvanized lines and comply with federal revisions to the national lead and copper rule.

The inventory effort covers an estimated 642,000 service lines served by SAWS — about 453,000 of those inside the city limits — and will rely on historical records, physical inspections, emerging detection technologies and customer self‑reports. SAWS staff said they have about 11,000 customers already interested in investigating their service‑line material.

The effort is tied to the Environmental Protection Agency’s revised lead and copper requirements. Eller said the 1991 rule and subsequent revisions culminated in a 2021 revision that set new compliance obligations; the utility had an October 16, 2024 compliance date for some requirements and has a work timeline that SAWS staff said will run through 2027 for portions of the process and requires removal of applicable lead lines by 2037.

SAWS staff described how they will build the inventory and identify likely private‑side lead: they will review historical work orders and tax parcel records, perform noninvasive inspections of meter boxes and — when necessary and with customer consent — excavate to inspect the service line. The utility has tested noninvasive detection technologies after presenting the approach publicly; staff said they have piloted several technologies to reduce intrusive excavation.

"Mi nombre es Kistrian Eller, soy la supervisora de la calidad de agua en Sos y mi trabajo está con el programa. Creamos un programa que se llama Proyecto Plomo para esta comisión," Eller said during the presentation.

SAWS staff stressed that the service line from the main to the meter is within SAWS ownership and that material after the meter — the private or house side — is typically the homeowner’s responsibility. "When SAWS finds lead, replacement depends on the property owner replacing it at their own cost," SAWS staff said in response to board questions. The utility noted it will offer to replace the customer side at the customer’s cost and plans to provide information about filters that residents can use immediately for protection.

Council members asked about notices and the tone of letters that were sent to customers; SAWS acknowledged some initial outreach language had alarmed customers and said it is working to clarify communications. Councilmember Cabello Jábrida raised affordability concerns for older residents on fixed incomes; SAWS staff said they are exploring assistance options but that no citywide, guaranteed replacement subsidy currently exists. The utility cited an example cost from an inspection: a roughly 50‑foot private‑side replacement reported to board members as costing about $4,500.

SAWS said certain customer classes are treated differently: staff told the board that schools and daycare centers will not be required to pay for replacement, and said the utility is working with relevant school programs to supply filters where appropriate. Staff also said if a property owner refuses an inspection or replacement, SAWS will record that refusal and must continue to send annual notifications in certain circumstances; refusal carries no immediate municipal penalty under the compliance approach staff described.

The utility has posted an interactive inventory map on its customer portal that shows service‑line status by address and updates roughly every three months, SAWS staff said. Staff asked council members and residents to report locations where older construction suggests a higher likelihood of lead service lines; they said field inspections will focus first on areas where records are missing and on older districts identified with higher shares of unknown lines.

Board members repeatedly pressed SAWS on timeline and funding. Eller said field work to expand the inventory and remediate lines will ramp up beginning in January 2027, with the required removal/completion date for identified lead lines set for 2037 under the current compliance framework. SAWS officials emphasized that the long timeline is deliberate but called the implementation approach "aggressive" to meet federal obligations.

The presentation closed with contact information for SAWS and an offer to answer individual customer questions; staff invited residents to use the online self‑reporting form or to hire contractors to confirm private‑side materials and to notify SAWS when an exposure or excavation occurs.