Successes and Challenges of Lead Service Line Inventory from the GIS Perspective
Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate
Intended Audience: GIS User, GIS Builder, Management
Abstract
One city’s experience using GIS to develop a complete lead service line inventory. This session covers how GIS was used to track inventory progress, prioritize field investigations, identify areas requiring additional verification, and communicate results through interactive maps and dashboards. The project integrated utility records, property information, historical documents, field verification, and customer data into a centralized spatial database. GIS provided a framework for organizing, analyzing, and visualizing service line information while helping the city identify known and suspected lead service lines, and helped staff better understand the city’s service line infrastructure and support data-driven decision-making. The session also discusses challenges encountered during the inventory process to develop a reliable and complete inventory, including reconciling information from multiple sources, which required extensive data review, quality control, field verification, and ongoing database updates.
Presenter
Alecia Stepler
GIS Project Manager, City of Rockford
Alecia Stepler is a GIS Project Manager with the City of Rockford’s Public Works Department. She brings expertise in geographic information systems and project management, supporting the City’s use of data and mapping technology to improve municipal planning, infrastructure, and public services.