La Grande council reviews service line program in work session

La Grande homeowners and businesses served by city water are watching a service line program that could shape future inspections, repairs and any replacement work, even though the council took no action at its April 20 work session. The city says its initial inventory has found no lead service lines in the water distribution system, so the immediate impact on most properties appears limited for now.

The City Council met from 6 to 7 p.m. in council chambers at La Grande City Hall for a discussion labeled a service line program work session. The agenda described the setting as informal, meant for exchanging ideas with staff rather than making decisions, voting or directing city employees toward formal action. The discussion was led by Parks and Recreation Director Stu Spence and Strategic Partnerships Manager Dennis Lyon.

That distinction matters for residents tracking water issues, because the council did not approve a program change, set a replacement schedule or authorize construction work on April 20. Still, the session signaled that the city is continuing to examine how it communicates about utility infrastructure, how it prioritizes work and how it handles future questions about service lines. Under the city’s rules for work sessions, the public may attend under Oregon public meetings law, but public comments and questions are generally not accepted during or after the discussion. Residents who want to speak on the record must use the public comment portion of a regular council meeting.

The city’s water page says crews completed the initial phase of the Lead Service Line Inventory required under Oregon’s 2021 Revised Lead and Copper Rule, using a statistical approach. La Grande says no lead service line has been found in the system during that effort, and the resulting inventory is posted on the city’s water page. The Oregon Health Authority says the inventory requirement exists so lead lines can be identified, removed and replaced, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency required initial inventories by Oct. 16, 2024.

La Grande’s water division maintains 85 miles of water main, about 4,800 meters, five wells, three reservoirs, five pressure reducing stations and the Beaver Creek Watershed. In May 2024, the city mailed water pipe surveys to about 5,000 homes and businesses, and by May 17 had received about 600 responses, more than 10%. Then-Public Works Director Kyle Carpenter said the city did not expect to find lead pipes and noted that since 1985 the department had worked to remove lead service line pipe. The city’s Public Works Department is at 800 X Avenue in La Grande, where future council action on the program will likely continue to draw close attention.