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Evanston Roundtable
Adina Keeling Read the full article. A few dozen Evanston residents who took out interest-free city loans to get rid of lead pipes carrying water to their homes are in luck. The Lead Service Replacement Loan Program, which started in 2017, offered assistance to residents with lead service lines that lived in areas impacted by the city’s water main improvement projects. During water main improvement projects, the city automatically replaced lead service lines under public property, but residents were expected to cover the cost of replacing service lines under their own property. The loan program made it easier for homeowners to replace pipes made of the toxic metal, and since its start, 39 residents have taken out a loan. The Morning Journal
Richard Payerchin Read the full article. Cold weather was not slowing down a continuing project to replace sections of lead pipes in Elyria’s city water system. On Jan. 4, crews moved onto Broad Street to dig up and change any lead service lines that carry fresh water from city mains into homes. The work there was part of a process that started last year and will continue as needed. Elyria city water does not have dangerous levels of lead in it, said Samuel F. Jacob, water team leader. However, Mayor Frank Whitfield, Safety-Service Director Kevin Brubaker, the city administration and Water Distribution Department want to be proactive in taking out lead pipes before it is required by law, Jacob said. The Repository
Paige Bennett Read the full article. SEBRING – The village plans to replace the majority of lead water service lines this spring. During an upcoming water service line replacement project, roughly 250 lead lines located at residential properties in Sebring will be upgraded to copper. Mayor James Harp said in an email that most of the lead lines in Sebring will be removed by the conclusion of the project, though some might remain at properties where homeowners did not respond to the village's notices about line inspections. Harp said the replacements will come at no cost to homeowners, and will result in minor service interruptions. Three Rivers Commercial News
Robert Tomlinson Read the full article. THREE RIVERS — A project to identify where lead water service lines are in Three Rivers took another step forward at Tuesday’s Three Rivers City Commission meeting. Commissioners approved a $264,901 contract with White Cloud, Mich.-based B&B Environmental Services, LLC to perform hydro excavating as part of a Distribution Systems Materials Inventory project to determine water service line materials in the city. The service will be paid for using the $274,000 Drinking Water Asset Management grant the city received from the State of Michigan back in August. 93.7 FM WGIL
Read the full article. Galesburg City Council authorized a forgivable loan on Monday night that will eventually replace the last of Galesburg’s lead water service lines. As they have several times in recent years, the Council on Monday voted to borrow $2 million from the IEPA through the Water Supply Loan Program to replace lead service lines. Once the project is completed the IEPA will forgive the entire amount of the loan. It’s estimated the $2 million would replace 450 -500 service lines. City Manager Todd Thompson also reports that Phase 4 of the service line replacement has been completed and they’re working through Phase 5. Council also approved a resolution authorizing the Director of Public Works to sign loan documents for lead service line replacements. WGEM
Clare Edlund Read the full article. MACOMB (WGEM) - Illinois community leaders have a big task ahead of them as they work to meet a state deadline to find, and create, a plan to replace lead water pipes. City leaders in Macomb said they’ve already replaced 700 lead lines over the past few years but don’t know how many they still need to replace. Mitchell Garrison, and his crewmates, worked Wednesday afternoon to finish replacing their last potential lead service line before freezing temperatures stop them. “The problem with lead is that it’s just bad, and there’s a lot of it in Macomb, more than I’ve seen any place else,” Garrison said. North Jersey
Steve Janoski Read the full article. The amount of lead in the drinking water that flows into thousands of North Jersey homes and businesses has fallen to its lowest level in at least 30 years, executives of the water utility Suez said Monday. The utility, which serves about 870,000 residents in Bergen and Hudson counties, said that it has spent $95 million over the past three years digging up and removing almost 8,000 lead pipes. Suez has also changed the way it treats water to make it less corrosive. The large water mains that run beneath streets do not contain lead. Instead, the smaller, old service lines about the width of a garden hose that connect the mains to homes and businesses contained lead. They are being replaced with new copper lines. Appleton Post-Crescent
Duke Behnke Read the full article. APPLETON - There's good news ahead for Appleton residents who have water service lines comprised of lead or galvanized steel leading into their homes. City officials are developing a program that would use federal and state money, including $1 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), to cover the cost of replacing those pipes on private property. The proposed program isn't based on income and would be open to all property owners in the city who are identified as having lead or galvanized service lines. Patch
Charles Woodman Read the full article. OLYMPIA, WA — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a plan to send $63 million to Washington to aid the state in its effort to replace local lead water service lines. The Washington state Department of Health says that money should "greatly" speed its ongoing effort to remove lead from drinking water systems. "Lead in drinking water pipes and faucets threatens the health and well-being of children and families across Washington", said Lauren Jenks, Assistant Secretary of Environmental Public Health. "We are thankful to Congress, the Biden Administration and the EPA for moving quickly to make these funds available so we can ensure that every Washington resident can turn on their tap, confident that the water coming out is safe." EPA Press Office
Read the full statement. WASHINGTON (Dec. 16, 2021) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan announced that the agency will begin developing a new regulation to better protect communities from exposure to lead in drinking water. EPA is committed to using every tool available—statutory authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act, technical assistance, funding, and more—to protect all Americans from lead in drinking water. The agency will collaboratively work with local, state, and federal partners, to make rapid progress on President Biden’s goal to remove 100% of lead service lines, with a focus on prioritizing communities disproportionately impacted by lead contamination. “Over the past year, I have visited with and heard from communities in Chicago, Flint, Jackson, and many other areas that are impacted by lead in drinking water,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “These conversations have underscored the need to proactively remove lead service lines, especially in low-income communities. The science on lead is settled—there is no safe level of exposure and it is time to remove this risk to support thriving people and vibrant communities.” |
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January 2022
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