Mapping Minnesota's Path to Safe Drinking Water
In partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health, U-Spatial developed the Lead Infrastructure Transparency Tool (LITT), an interactive statewide map that helps communities and residents identify lead service lines and plan for their replacement.
Making Invisible Infrastructure Visible
Beneath the streets of Minnesota's cities and towns runs a network of pipes that most residents never think about — until there's a problem. Lead service lines, a legacy of decades-old construction practices, can leach harmful lead into drinking water as they corrode over time. The health risks are well documented, particularly for children and pregnant women, but for most communities the first challenge is a basic one: figuring out which pipes are actually made of lead.
In response to federal and state mandates to identify and replace all lead service lines — Minnesota has set a statewide goal of full replacement by 2033 — the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) needed a way to track, map, and share service line data across hundreds of water systems. They turned to U-Spatial.
Building the Tool
U-Spatial was contracted to develop the Lead Infrastructure Transparency Tool (LITT), an interactive map that consolidates service line inventory data from water systems across the state into a single, publicly accessible platform. The project brought together a large interdisciplinary group of specialists and developers at both the Duluth and Twin Cities campuses.
The team built a system that allows residents to search by their home address and see the reported material of their service line — lead, copper, galvanized steel, or unknown. For municipalities and water utilities, the tool provides a way to visualize their inventory data, track replacement progress, and meet state reporting requirements.
Why Transparency Matters
What makes LITT more than a technical exercise is its commitment to public access. By making service line data visible and searchable, the tool empowers residents to make informed decisions about their own water safety and gives communities the information they need to prioritize replacement efforts where they matter most.
As inventories are updated annually and approved by MDH, the data on LITT is refreshed — creating a living resource that grows more useful over time. The tool also supports Minnesota's broader goal of meeting the federal Lead and Copper Rule requirements, which mandate that all lead service lines be replaced by 2037.
Lead Service Line Mapping by the Numbers
The scale and reach of this statewide initiative.
Statewide
Coverage across Minnesota's water systems
2033
Minnesota's target year for full lead service line replacement
Publicly Accessible
Any Minnesota resident can search their address
Updated Annually
Inventory data refreshed as communities report progress
Meet the Experts
Explore the Lead Service Line Map
The Lead Infrastructure Transparency Tool (LITT) is a publicly accessible interactive map that allows Minnesota residents to search by address and determine the material of their water service line. Explore the tool to see how data transparency supports public health decision-making.