DES MOINES, Iowa — Des Moines homeowners, double check your mailbox. You may be one of thousands in the city getting a letter telling you your pipes are contaminated with lead. Des Moines Water Works sent the letter out Friday, leaving people worried about the quality of their water and who would be in charge of paying for the repairs.
Last Friday, Durand McGowen says he found two letters from Des Moines water works in his mail box.
"I'm like, well, what could this be, because I know I paid my bill. It went through, you know, look, and it says they confirmed... I have lead pipes," McGowen said.
McGowen is one of 55 thousand homeowners who received a lead or galvanized line letter, encouraging them to perform a test on their pipes to see if they are contaminated.
"It says we've confirmed we know, and so I go to the QR code, and the first thing it says is, go check your pipes. It's asking me, telling me how to do a magnet test, and I'm like, magnet? It says you confirm I have lead, so why would I need to do a magnet test?" Durand McGowen said.
Des Moines Water works is offering free testing on homes built before 1940 with confirmed lead or galvanized lead. McGowen said he and his neighbors are looking into how much the repairs would set them back.
"You're telling us, it's for sure our responsibility, and we for sure have lead pipes. so everybody's debating on the cost, and we're hearing anywhere from 5000 to 12,000 dollars, so we replace this pipe," McGowen said.
Des Moines Water Works wrote in a Facebook post saying homeowners can replace their service lines anytime by hiring a licensed plumber or contractor, and the U.S. EPA has said they want all lead/galvanized pipes replaced by 2037.
A cost McGowen will have to tack on to his list.
"That's another cost to get repaired. and you know, I'm like, meanwhile, I'm looking for grants and anything that could possibly help," McGowen said.
Des Moines Water Works said it's working to secure federal funding for lead service line replacements while prioritizing income-eligible neighborhoods. We reached out to Des Moines Water Works for comment on this matter, but they shared they were not available for an interview until tomorrow.