The City of Franklin needs your help! The State of Nebraska Department of Environment & Energy has made it mandatory that all utility providers comply with new reporting requirements regarding lead water service lines.
You must respond by April 12th, 2024.
For your convenience, we’ve made it easy for you to answer the State’s questions online, and you can click the following link to fill out the survey:
Click Here to Complete the Mandatory Lead Service Line Reporting Survey
Once you submit the survey, an email will be sent to you as proof that you’ve properly completed the survey. Please keep this email for your records.
For residents that do not want to enter their information online, you may opt-out of the digital survey by printing a paper copy of the survey, filling it out, and returning it promptly to the City of Franklin at City Hall during normal business hours. Our address is 619 15th Avenue, Franklin, NE 68939.
Click Here to Download a Paper Copy
For additional information, please contact City Hall at (308) 425-6295 or our Water and Sewer System Operator, Drew Boston, at (308) 920-2798 or via email at dboston@cityoffranklin.net. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Lead is a potentially dangerous heavy metal that can cause permanent brain damage and other health problems. The City of Franklin needs your help to identify any remaining lead infrastructure so we can work with you and proper authorities to remove it for the safety and wellbeing of the public.
Drinking water that contains lead can damage a developing brain. It is especially harmful for children 6 years and under, and in adults, may lead to an increase in blood pressure. With your help, the City of Franklin can reduce elevated levels of lead in our community.
Your water system (the City of Franklin) tests for lead levels regularly. However, the source of lead in drinking water is often caused by lead pipes and plumbing components in the distribution system that provides drinking water to your home or office.
Drinking water for your home is delivered from the water main to your home by a service line. Service lines can possibly contain lead. Identifying homes that have a lead service line or other lead components is crucial because corrosion of these materials over time can cause lead to accumulate in your drinking water.
Be a part of the solution! Tackling this problem is a large project, and we need your help to make it happen.
Check your records: Have you or the City of Franklin completed maintenance on your service line recently? Do you know when your home was built? If your home was built before 1988 and has the original service line or plumbing from its original construction, then your home or property may have a lead service line or a lead component.
Inspect the service line yourself: You can save time and money and inspect the service line yourself. These lines typically enter your home through the wall facing the street on the lowest level of your property, but each setup can be unique to each home. If you do not own your home, please contact the homeowner for this information.
Is it lead?: Start with a magnet or scratch test. Gently scratch the surface of the pipe with a coin. If the pipe is soft, easily scraped, silver and a magnet does NOT stick to it, it's likely lead.
If it's not lead, then what is it? Read below for how to find out:
1. Does a magnet stick to the pipe? If so, and the line is dull grey when scratched, this portion of the service line is galvanized Steel.
2. If the magnet does not stick to the pipe, it's the same color as a penny when scratched or has a greenish blue buildup of deposits, this portion of the service line is copper.
3. If the magnet does not stick, and the pipe is white-ish yellow or grey, is joined with a clamp, screw or glue, this portion of the service line is plastic or Chlorinated Ployvinyl Chloride (CPVC).
