City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting

The city of Marco Island sent 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead. The city then held a meeting on Thursday to reassure people that they could trust their water.

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The meeting was all about reassuring the residents of Marco Island. The general manager of the water and sewer department said 4900 letters were sent to people to let them know their pipes were made out of a certain substance, and in his 30 years of experience, he said that he’s never come across a lead pipe.

Environmental protection agencies are enhancing their lead awareness.

They have new requirements for the revised lead and copper rule because these pipes could become health issues, especially for babies and older people. The city hired a consultant to look at the service lines.

They found there are twelve service lines and 7,000 non-lead service lines, while four had no records, which doesn’t mean there is lead in the pipes; it just means there’s not even documentation to tell what the service line is.

Jeff Poteet is the general manager of the Marco Island Water and Sewer Department. He said that he doesn’t want residents to feel worried.

“The letter that went out is kind of scary, but it’s the requirement of the rule, and we really just want to make sure that our community feels safe in the water that we provide,” said Poteet.

During the meeting, officials said if a home was built after 1989, the resident won’t have to worry about lead pipes since they were banned in Florida.