If you've opened your water bill lately, you have likely seen a letter addressing lead pipe remediation, but may not know much about the process or what it looks like as a consumer.
Cape Girardeau’s water system is taking important steps to address lead service lines, following the Biden-Harris Administration’s final rule that will require the replacement of lead pipes from drinking water systems within 10 years.
JJ Ridings, the local manager for Alliance Water Resources, discussed efforts to identify and replace any remaining lead service lines in the city (lead pipe remediation), a goal aligned with both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Cape Girardeau has been proactive in identifying lead pipes in the city’s water systems, completing an inventory by the October 16 deadline set by the EPA. Ridings shared that, after an extensive review of records and water lines, Alliance Water Resources found only one lead service line still in use. “We found one lead service line out there,” Ridings said. “That one line covers one meter.” This reflects the progress Cape Girardeau has made in updating its water infrastructure.
Despite this news, Ridings acknowledges the possibility that some homeowners may still have lead pipes within their homes. “We sent out- either 1,100 or 1,300 emails or physical letters to those homes where we had no records of their plumbing,” Ridings said. “So, in that letter, we asked them to notify us, and we tell them how to identify the pipe.” While the city’s water system is almost entirely free from lead, many private homes may still contain these hazardous materials. Alliance provides instructions for residents on how to check pipes for lead, including simple tests such as checking for scratches in the pipe or testing its magnetism.

Ridings emphasized that Alliance Water Resources is trying to minimize the disruption to residents' properties while ensuring that every potentially impacted home is investigated. The next step will involve physically digging in yards, known as “potholing,” to confirm whether lead pipes exist. This process is expected to begin soon, though Ridings noted that it will be done carefully and with minimal disturbance, to avoid resident backlash. “We’re required to do it, but people are going to be very mad when we start digging up yards. So we are trying every way possible not to do that, or at least, do the least amount of that.”
He continued, “We wanted to avoid potholing as much as possible. We’re going to use every way possible to avoid digging in people’s yards, but eventually, we will have to do it.”
While lead service lines have been largely identified, the process of replacing them is ongoing. Alliance Water Resources has secured a $197,500 grant, which will fund efforts to identify unknown lead pipes still connected to the water system, so, this grant money isn’t for the replacement, but it’s for getting the inventory done. “We have to go there and dig in the yard and visually see what the pipe is”. Ridings said. Alliance has already completed much of the groundwork in reviewing their records, but more work remains to be done to identify all of the unknown plumbing on the customer side of the water meter.

In addition to the identification grant, Ridings noted that Alliance Water Resources is working toward a broader replacement plan in line with the EPA’s goal to replace lead pipes nationwide by 2030. “Most definitely, we are aligning with the EPA’s 10-year goal,” Ridings said. While the current inventory is largely completed, full replacement efforts will continue over the next several years, with a deadline of 2027 to address any remaining unknown pipes in the area.
As part of the process, residents will continue to receive communications from Alliance Water Resources through emails and letters, including instructions on how to identify lead pipes within their homes. Ridings emphasized the importance of keeping the public informed to minimize confusion or concerns about the upcoming work. “People are going to be very upset when we start digging up their yards,” Ridings said. “So we’re trying every possible method to avoid doing that or, at least, to do as little as possible.”
Alliance Water Resources is committed to transparency and safety as it works to remove the remaining lead pipes from Cape Girardeau’s water system, ensuring that residents are well-informed and involved in the process.
