Syracuse Public Works Committee Meeting on Lead in Pipes - January 20, 2026
Syracuse Public Works and Infrastructure Committee Meeting - January 20, 2026
The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, chaired by Chol Madjok, met to discuss issues surrounding lead in residential water pipes, focusing on water sampling and service line replacement. The meeting included updates from the Water Commissioner on testing protocols, replacement progress, funding, and public health concerns. Council members and community representatives raised questions about education, filter distribution, and the pace of replacement.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Oceana Fair (Families for Lead Freedom): Reported that approximately 600 children per year in Onondaga County are poisoned by lead (based on those tested), emphasizing that the primary source is lead paint, but water also contributes. She noted that New York State's action level of 5.5 µg/dL is higher than the CDC's 3.5 µg/dL, and children with lower-level exposure from water remain at risk.
- Peter King (community member): Suggested that the full cause of high lead readings may not be understood, noting the city has historically had low water pressure issues and about 20% non-revenue water (leaks). He proposed that water transients (water hammer) could pull in contaminated soil, potentially causing some exceedances.
Discussion Items
- Water Sampling Update: The Water Commissioner stated that the second semester of 2025 testing (July–December) has been completed, with results under the EPA action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb) for the third consecutive testing cycle. The city is transitioning from 120 Water to TruPonti for sampling, using the same lab and protocol. The city must test 100 tier-one homes (single-family with lead service lines) per semester. A separate study with the Cadmus Group is underway to help prepare for the 2027 EPA standard lowering to 10 ppb.
- Lead Service Line Replacement: The city attempted full service line replacements (public and private sides) but did not meet the EPA mandate of 1,500 public-side replacements in 2025, completing approximately 800 full replacements. Starting in 2027, EPA will require full service line replacements. The city is prioritizing 2,900 homes where the public side was previously replaced and the private side remains lead. A map of these neighborhoods was shown, and councilors requested it be posted on the city website.
- Bureaucratic Challenges: The Commissioner cited bureaucratic processes (e.g., contracting, EFC approvals) as slowing down replacements, not a lack of will. The city is breaking contracts into phases to attract more contractors and prepare for nationwide competition in 2027.
- Funding: The water department capital improvement plan allocates $25 million per year for six years for lead service line replacements. A one-time federal grant of $22,756,047 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has been awarded, along with a $2 million grant for inventory. The city bonded $5 million in 2025 for continued replacements. Testing compliance costs $48,000 annually.
- Public Education and Filters: Discussion focused on the effectiveness of Brita pitcher filters given to residents. Councilors expressed concerns that many filters end up unused and suggested switching to faucet-mounted filters. The Commissioner noted that EPA requires specifically a Brita pitcher filter. An agreement was made to improve education and distribution, including partnering with community organizations and delivering filters to those without transportation.
- Low Water Pressure Incident: Councilor Marty Nave raised a recent low water pressure event on the North Side, worried that running water may not adequately flush lead. The Commissioner advised that running water until it turns cold is sufficient, and bottled water is an alternative.
- Community Engagement: Councilors urged the Commissioner to hold regular meetings with community coalitions working on lead issues. The Commissioner affirmed willingness to meet with any group. It was agreed to coordinate a collective meeting including the Commissioner, council members, community organizations, and Kevin Henry (DPW).
Key Outcomes
- The Commissioner will organize a meeting with community lead-fighting coalitions, councilors, and DPW to improve communication and coordination.
- The city will continue full service line replacements (public and private) and aim to expand contractor capacity through phased bidding.
- A map of upcoming replacement areas will be added to the city website.
- Efforts to distribute Brita filters will be reviewed, with possible consideration of alternative filter types within EPA guidelines.
- The committee will work to address bureaucratic delays in contract approval and implementation.
- Education campaigns will be enhanced, including multilingual outreach and partnerships with schools, libraries, and community centers.
Meeting Transcript
Public uh public works and infrastructure committee meeting. I'm the chair, Chol Madjok. I'm joined by Councillor uh and Aaron Rike and right. I could I can never get that. I'm sorry to the other day. We're gonna get it right. Yeah, and right. And Aaron Right. Council Moore, Council Nave, Council Cardwell. Now President Did you just say one of the things? And and President uh Penawa. I'm joined by the commissioner. Commissioner, uh thank you for coming. Uh we are here today to talk about the issues around lead in the pipe in the around residential, as far also as far as the pipes. So the this meeting is going to be twofold. The first part is going to talk about the testing part of uh part of the lead. The other piece is going to talk about the pipe replacement. So it's a two-piece. And what I wanna do is give the commissioner the floor to run us through. We have already had a conversation and uh put in a request for him to outline this this issue. So we're gonna give you the floor and let's hold out questions until he's done, and then we can we can go into discussion. Fair all right. Yeah, sounds good. So sit somewhere else in terms of the screen. No, I'm not gonna use that quite yet. Okay. I'm gonna I'm gonna give you a little update on the water sampling. So the City of Surge is required to do two semesters of water sampling a year. First semester, which runs from January to June, second semester, July to December. We have just finished our second semester for the 2025 season. Um we haven't we've got the results, we haven't made them public yet. They have to be approved by the EPA and the Department of Health, but they've come in under the 15 parts per billion action level, which is the EPA standards, um, for the third testing cycle in a row. Um we had 120 water do our sampling. They've done it for the last two semesters. The first half of 25, the second half of 25. We are now entering into a contract because we put it out for RFP out for it with TruPonti, who's another company that does the same kind of sampling. Um the testing will be exactly the same. It'll go you'll get something in the mail. And we have to test a hundred homes per semester. So you'll get a we we try to test the same homes so that way we can you know make sure our water treatment's working, or orthophosphate is working um in these homes, and we we break them up throughout the community so they're on every different side of town, and uh there's tier one testing, which they have to be a single family home in New York State, um, with a lead service line that meet the tier one criteria. Um Trupani won the contract, they are going to do it the in the same pattern as 120 water did. Uh you'll get a mailing, you'll get a update, you know, saying that the testing is begun, asking if you want to participate. Um once you s you know, say you want to participate, they'll send you a sample kit in the mail. You'll take your sample, you'll put it in the mail, it goes directly to the lab. There's no middle people touching the sample, it goes from home to lab. And then we'll get our results and we wait till we get a hundred or more samples, and at the end of June of this year, we'll have our first half of 2026 sampling done. And that's how we do our testing. We ask questions or you want to look, I'm waiting. So we'll move to the next portion, but yeah, follow up with these. No, I just wanna no, go ahead.
openpublica.com