Lead Service Line Inventories – Kansas

In partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), our team helped 41 Kansas communities build complete inventories of their public and private water service lines, giving each system a clear picture of potential lead risks and a strong foundation for future planning. 

We began by reviewing each community’s existing records, including plan sets, permits, tap cards, and other documents that identified pipe materials. From there, we worked directly with customers to gather information about the private-side pipes inside their homes and businesses. 

To support this effort, we created a statewide outreach campaign that explained the purpose of the inventory and showed residents how to identify their service lines. The campaign included mailed notices, emails, social media posts, flyers, door-to-door outreach, online surveys, and simple educational videos.

Materials were available in English and Spanish, and residents could submit photos or request in-person assistance if needed. All responses were tracked in a GIS database to ensure accurate, address-specific data collection. 

We made the identification process easy by providing a short survey and simple testing instructions using household items like a coin, key, or magnet. This allowed customers to determine whether their pipe material was likely steel, copper, plastic, or potentially lead. 

KDHE’s standardized spreadsheet helped each community organize its field data, customer responses, and GIS information in one place, resulting in a reliable baseline inventory. As additional communities begin their inventories, we continue to help others close gaps where materials are still unknown.

With the final baseline inventory due at the end of 2027, our team is developing tailored standard operating procedures (SOPs) to help water systems gather missing information efficiently—often during routine maintenance or upcoming construction work. 

Once inventories are complete, we’ll also assist communities in developing long-term replacement plans for lead-contaminated lines and identify funding options suited to their needs.