Water Commission Chair Tom Shevenell discussed federally mandated water line inspections aimed at reducing the risk of lead, during the first joint public meeting of 2026 between the Select Board and Budget Committee.
On Monday, Jan. 26, Shevenell said the town needs to identify the metals used in Hancock’s water service lines.
“We need to deal with the ‘Regulation Du Jour,” he said. “New Hampshire must meet the stringent 2024 Federal Lead and Copper Improvements Rule, requiring complete inventory of the materials used in every service line in the state by 2037.”
“In 2023, the EPA determined the nation’s water infrastructure needs stand at $625 billion over 20 years,” he said. Hancock’s water lines are part of that equation.
According to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Lead and Copper Rule in 1991 to protect public health and reduce exposure to lead in drinking water. The website says the rule was revised in 2021 and then 2024 “to include several new actions to better protect the public against the harmful effects of lead.”
The revised rule required all community and non-transient, non-community waters systems to be inventoried by Oct. 16, 2024. It also requires all lead service lines be located and replaced to improve tap sampling, lower lead action levels and to strengthen public health protection by 2037.
Shevenell used curb stops as a reference point for customer and utility service lines. He said the customer service and utility sides of the curb stops refer to “the valve used to turn on or off the water flow to our customers.”
According to Shevenell, Hancock has 200 customer service water lines. The town has spent the last two years documenting the material on both sides of the curb stops and has photographed all but 15 of the customer service lines. However, Shevenell noted the town still needs to photograph at least 119 utility service lines.
“We have 102 utility lines that need to be looked at, and an additional 17 have been randomly selected for inspection,” he said. “The town has to see if the lines are plastic, copper or lead.”
He said the cost to excavate, photograph and document each service line on each side of the curb stop is between $1,500 and $2,000.
To accomplish what is required, he said the Water Commission will request town meeting approve $380,000 to bring Hancock’s water works into compliance with the Federal Lead and Copper Rule.
“The $380,000 isn’t going to be our total cost,” he added. “The state has received $28 million per year for a five-year period to conduct this kind of work.”
Accordingly, he noted the NHDES will give up to a 66% principal forgiveness. The funding will function like a line of credit in that there won’t be any cost until the money is fully disbursed. “We have to allot a particular amount of money to the project each month, write out the reimbursement and then a 1% annual fee will be charged based on how much is used,” he said.
When the project is complete, 66% will be removed from the total disbursement and the town will pay the remaining balance. “If paid back over a ten year period, the interest rate will be 4%,” he said.
Shevenell said the interest rate will be fixed when the loan agreement is signed.
The state’s program is in its fourth year Shevenell said, adding that there isn’t much time left, so it’s imperative to start now. He made clear that Director of Public Works Tyler Howe was on board to use a backhoe to drill the required 9-inch diameter holes to inspect the water lines.
If the town also approves establishing a Water Capital Reserve Fund, Shevenell said that approving the $380,000 in conjunction with the reserve fund will mean a $66 increase in the median residential water bills for 2026. He said the town will develop a Water Advisory Committee to assist the Select Board moving forward.