MENTONE – Only 13 utility lines are considered unknown after a lead line inventory was done last year of the town’s utility service lines.
Chris Harrison, business development manager with Commonwealth Engineers Inc., told the Mentone Town Council Wednesday the lead line inventory for Mentone has been completed.
The council was approached in March about doing a lead line inventory. The lead service line inventory identifies if there’s any lead service lines in the area and classifies service line material. Even if there were no lead service lines in the area, there was still a requirement the town accumulate the information and submit it to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Harrison said in March.
Wednesday, Harrison said Commonwealth submitted all of the paperwork to IDEM accordingly.
When doing the work, Commonwealth also looked at the town’s 1995 water project and identified the main water systems were put in place in 1960.
At this point, there are 13 utility service lines that are unknown in town. Every indication is those utility services are not lead, but they do need to be identified, Harrison said. There were no lead lines found elsewhere in town.
He said in the initial go around of trying to get information, there were over 100 utility lines that were unknown. That number was then knocked down to 60, which was knocked down to the final number of 13 unknown lines.
There is a three-year window to identify the 13 unknown utility service lines for IDEM, he said. With that, those involved in the inventory in Mentone were proactive in helping figure out what lines existed in town.
In other business, the council:
• Heard the town’s Clearly Kosciusko signs were put up.
• Tabled a decision for Town Marshal Keaton Schopf to go to toxicology training in Indianapolis.
• Approved an interlocal law enforcement agreement to share computer systems with the county for $555 for 2025.