Jim Thorpe Borough officials are urging residents to participate in a survey designed to identify lead water lines, amid concerns over a low response rate from the community.

Earlier this spring, the borough distributed informational flyers to all homes receiving water service. The flyers included details about a mandate from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requiring municipalities to provide a comprehensive inventory of all service line information by Oct. 16.

Officials said the survey, which residents can access through a link on the borough website, is crucial for the borough’s efforts to identify and remove lead lines from the existing water infrastructure. Borough Manager Maureen Sterner emphasized the importance of community participation, noting that the data collected will help the borough secure grant funding for lead line removal.

“The borough is exploring funding for grants for the removal of existing lead lines and the survey will help us identify and ultimately remove those lines from the existing infrastructure,” Sterner said.

Councilman Connor Rodgers said Thursday night the survey response rate from residents has been disappointingly low. As of last week, only 13% of the borough’s water customers had completed the survey. This equates to just 236 out of 1,758 meters.

Rodgers said the borough needs sufficient time to process submissions and gather any outstanding information.

“We are asking residents to complete this survey by the end of July to give the borough staff enough time to process the submissions and obtain any outstanding or missing information,” he said. “In order to stay within compliance, we are doing our best to complete it on time.”

The survey, which takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete, requires residents to enter their contact information, identify the service lines, and upload a picture. The borough has offered assistance to those who need help completing the survey.

“Individual assistance with the survey for the homeowner’s side is greatly appreciated,” Rodgers added. “If anyone needs assistance, they may contact the borough office during normal business hours at 570-325-3025 ext. 1.”

Service lines, which are pipes that branch from the borough’s water mains to supply water into customers’ homes, can be made from various materials including lead, copper, galvanized steel, or plastic. The borough is responsible for the portion of the service line extending from the water main to the curb stop, while customers are responsible for the portion extending from the curb stop into their homes.

Rodgers assured residents that filling out the survey does not automatically mean they will have to replace lead service lines out of pocket.

“The borough is actively exploring grant options to cover the cost of replacing lead lines identified through the survey,” he said.