Solutions
Featured Solutions
We offer a variety of solutions ensuring both compliance and consistency
Our Featured Solutions
Material Inventory
Your water service line material inventory provides critical information needed for identifying and prioritizing lead service line replacement efforts. Developing and maintaining a detailed Inventory assists with ensuring public safety and establishing effective plans for maintaining and upgrading your infrastructure.
Per the Illinois Lead Service Line Replacement & Notification Act, every Community Water System needs a Material Inventory, regardless if you suspect you have lead service lines or not. The inventory must include:
- A Unique identifier for EVERY water service line
- The Public Side Material Classification
- The Private Side Material Classification
- The Total Material Classification
Challenges
Communities are frequently faced with limited historical records, incomplete or inaccurate data, and the possible need for on-site inspections on private property when developing their detailed material inventory. Sometimes, it is just difficult to even know where to start or how to allocate time for your staff to work on your Inventory.
B&W Solutions
Using a multi-phased approach with ArcGIS tools (for communities with or without GIS!), Baxter & Woodman assists communities with strategically identifying each water service line’s material and limiting the number of unknowns.
- Phase 1: Eliminate Services with Known Materials by Evaluating Existing Available Information
- Phase 2: Reduce Services with Unknown Materials with educational Resident & Contractor Information Survey’s
- Phase 3: Minimize services with Outstanding Unknown Materials with targeted property inspections
Data Management
Challenges
When managing the status of each water service line, frequently communities are faced with incomplete or inaccurate data, limited historical records and resources, and feel underequipped with available technology. Oftentimes, communities view data management as over complicated, time-consuming and even expensive.
B&W Solutions
No two communities are alike and Baxter & Woodman’s Spatial Technology team understands that data management is not a one-size fits all. Whether a community is equipped with GIS or not, our team uses the power of Esri AcrGIS Tools to manage a variety of information for each water service line, streamlining each key step in your Lead Service Line Replacement Program:
Water Service Line Material Inventory
Public Water Service Material Web-Map
Lead Service Line Replacement Plans (mapping requirements)
Public Notification Tracking
Lead Service Line Replacements & Required Construction Documentation
For communities that are not equipped with GIS, we will always make sure that we format your data in a way that is most suitable for you and your staff to use.
Replacement Plan
Your Lead Service Line Replacement Plan provides the framework for prioritizing lead service line replacement efforts, establishing clear timelines and budgets, and ensuring that the replacement process is carried out in a coordinated and effective manner. Your Replacement Plan should act as your operational playbook, providing your community with each step to execute replacements over the next 15 to 50 years.
Keep in mind that Community Water System’s that have or suspect lead water service lines will need to develop a Replacement Plan.
Challenges
When developing a Replacement Plan, communities frequently are faced with navigating limited funding for replacements, needing to coordinate with property owners and other stakeholders, identifying high-risk areas, ensuring adequate staffing and resources and needing to balancing their replacement schedule with other infrastructure projects.
B&W Solutions
Working closely with key staff, such as the Director of Public Works, Communications Director, Finance Director, and Operations staff, Baxter & Woodman is assisting communities in navigating the difficult discussions and decisions needed to address all the components of a Lead Service Line Replacement Plan. Using our experience in capital improvement planning, strategizing funding options, and our design and construction expertise, we will take into consideration the following with your team:
Replacement Prioritization Criteria (Schools, Child-care facilities, healthcare facilities, etc.)
Future Infrastructure and Roadway Needs
Available Funding and Resources (State/Federal and Local)
Partnerships with Local Plumbers/Contractors
Education & Notification
It is important that your Educational Materials help raise awareness about the risks associated with lead exposure, provides guidance on how to reduce exposure and protect public health, and informs residents about the efforts you are taking to identify and replace lead service lines. Perhaps more importantly than being required under the Illinois Act and the US EPA LCRR, creating uniform educational material provides an opportunity for your community to build trust and transparency between you and your residents.
In addition to providing a variety of educational content, your community will need to implement a series of notifications for residents with lead service lines.
Challenges
When developing a Replacement Plan, communities frequently are faced with navigating limited funding for replacements, needing to coordinate with property owners and other stakeholders, identifying high-risk areas, ensuring adequate staffing and resources and needing to balancing their replacement schedule with other infrastructure projects. When developing effective educational and notification content, it may be difficult to develop clear and concise language that conveys complex technical information to a non-expert audience, as well as reaching all affected residents, including those with language barriers or limited access to technology. Communities are also faced with the need to address concerns and questions from residents in a timely and accurate manner.
B&W Solutions
Working closely with key staff, such as the Director of Public Works, Communications Director, Finance Director, and Operations staff, Baxter & Woodman is assisting communities in creating a uniform message that meets the various State and Federal requirements as well as engages the community. Finding the right media platforms and content to engage your community is important. We are thinking outside the box to build trust and transparency between water systems and their community members. Educational & notification content can look different for different people:
Newsletters / Letters
Brochures / Pamphlets
Social Media / Website Posts
Education Information Graphics
Educational Videos
Townhall / Public Engagement and Education Events
Funding & Financial Planning
Financial planning is essential for lead service line replacement efforts, as it enables municipalities to estimate the cost of replacement, identify potential funding sources, establish realistic trimlines and budgets, and prioritize replacement efforts based on risk and other factors, ultimately leading to more efficient and effective lead service line replacement programs. Note that communities receiving state or federal funds for lead service line replacements are required finance both public and private side replacements.
Challenges
When planning financially for lead service line replacements, communities often are faced with already limited financial resources, having then to have difficult conversations about the significant upfront investment, competing demands for funding from other infrastructure projects and the potential for higher costs associated with the increased complexity.
B&W Solutions
Baxter & Woodman’s funding experts assist Communities with identifying and securing funding for their Lead Service Line Replacement Programs including grants, loans, rate assessments and Special Service Areas (SSA’s). Finding the right funding program or agency is often the key to success, especially when considering other capital improvement needs. We understand that not all funding sources are the right fit and that it is crucial for a Community to understand all of the pro’s and con’s associated with each funding source to properly make a decision. We currently are assisting Communities finance their Lead Service Line Replacement Programs with:
- Lead Service Line Inventory Grant (IEPA)
- Lead Service Line Replacement Loan (IEPA)
- With Principal Forgiveness for those who are eligible
- Water & Sewer Rate StudiesDiscussions on Cost Sharing with Customers
Design
Designing lead service line replacement efforts enables municipalities to ensure that the services are replaced in a safe and effective manner, minimizing any potential harm to the public. The replacement process can involve several steps, including identifying and mapping out the locations of the lead service lines, assessing the cost of replacement, identify potential problems early, establish realistic timelines and budgets, prioritize replacement efforts based on risk and other factors, and communicate early with all stakeholders, ultimately leading to more efficient and effective lead service line replacement programs.
Note that although replacements are not required to start until 2027, any lead service line disturbed starting January 1, 2022 requires full replacement.
Challenges
When planning for lead service line replacements, communities often are faced with determining the location of lead service lines, navigating public and private property, having to have difficult conversations about financial responsibilities, competing demands for contractors, and communicating with all stakeholders in advance.
B&W Solutions
Baxter & Woodman’s design team works closely with Communities to plan and execute lead service line replacements while maintaining compliance with the Illinois Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act. With detailed drawings, specifications and early planning, we are finding ways to help reduce the unknowns of performing work on private property and streamlining replacement efforts. Whether designing a lead service line replacement project or an infrastructure project that lead service lines are anticipated on, we can help.