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Kenosha News
Read the full article. KENOSHA — The City of Kenosha has been awarded funding to help remove lead water service lines on private property. The State of Wisconsin took advantage of federal legislation that allows states to make a one-time transfer of funds from the Clean Water State Revolving fund to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to address lead related threats. In doing so, the state made $63 million in principal forgiveness funding available to municipalities to replace lead service lines. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources through the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program has awarded the City of Kenosha $1.95 million for private lead service line replacements to be used in 2021. These funds will be made available to qualifying homeowners, schools, and daycares to cover the cost of replacing their private lead service, up to $6,000 per service. Kenosha Mayor John M. Antaramian said he was very pleased the city had received the funding. C& G Newspapers
Mike Koury Read the full article. FERNDALE — The Ferndale City Council made a decision at its most recent meeting that will increase the number of lead service lines replaced over the next three years. At its April 12 meeting, the council approved the replacement of lead service lines under a South Oakland County Water Authority contract for $716,319. This decision will allow Ferndale to replace more service lines than initially anticipated. Last year, the city worked with SOCWA to put out a proposal for lead service line replacements. The contract eventually was awarded to D’Angelo Brothers Inc. The city will pay SOCWA to administer the contract and pay DBI for its services. According to the city, utilizing the SOCWA contract will allow it to replace an additional 158 lead service lines, an increase of 38% from what Ferndale expected to replace this year. Read the full article. East Boston Times
Read the full article. Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) announced that it is doubling to $4,000 the credit for replacing lead pipes through its Lead Replacement Incentive Program. A recent review conducted by the Commission estimates that as many as 4,800 property owners may be eligible for the program. For most customers, this credit will cover the total cost of the lead pipe replacement. Lead water pipes can significantly increase a person’s exposure to lead, a toxic metal that can be harmful to human health. The water provided by BWSC and Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) is lead-free when it leaves the reservoirs because distribution pipes are made mostly of iron and steel. However, lead can leach into tap water through home service lines and internal plumbing, especially if water sits for long periods of time before use. People in homes and businesses built before 1950 should run their drinking water for two to three minutes if it has been stagnant for several hours, before drinking or cooking, to flush out any lead that might have leached into the system. EPIC
By Maureen Cunningham and Olya Egorov See the original blog. In the United States, there are an estimated 6-10 million lead service lines in approximately 11,000 communities that deliver drinking water to our kitchen taps, potentially exposing individuals of all ages to lead poisoning. Although a number of cities have committed to removing lead pipes in their communities, several municipalities lag behind, largely due to disparities in access to funding, as well as their capacity to manage a wide range of water quality issues in addition to lead. If the revised Lead and Copper Rule (currently subject to a regulatory freeze, while the EPA seeks additional public input) goes into effect, one of the biggest revisions affecting public water systems is the requirement that all water systems conduct an inventory of lead service lines, both public (owned by the water system) and private (owned by the homeowner or landlord) or otherwise prove the absence of lead service lines. Aside from the pending federal regulations and some existing state-level regulations, identifying, mapping, and conducting inventories of lead service lines is one of the first steps to launching a successful lead service line replacement program. The location and number of lead lines, for example, can help determine the most adequate funding strategy, including which grants or loans the municipality can apply for and the percentage of lead lines on the private side versus the public side of the line. Knowing the number and location of lead lines is a basic first step to addressing the problem. Second Wave SW Michigan
Al Jones Read the full article. The City of Kalamazoo will continue its efforts to eliminate lead water service lines by replacing 2,000 more of them next year in the city’s Northside Neighborhood, the Northwood section of Kalamazoo Township, and adjacent areas. Called the “North Kalamazoo” project, the $20 million effort is to begin after approvals are made and contractors are assigned late this year. It is to be completed in 2023. The project is targeting lead water services in an area generally north of Kalamazoo Avenue to the Township line and between Nichols Road and the Kalamazoo River, according to information provided by the city. “Lead is not good and we need to make sure all the service lines in Kalamazoo are copper,” says Kalamazoo Public Services Director James Baker. Read the full article. Alton Daily News
See the full article. A bill has been introduced in the Illinois legislature that would mandate all water utilities to begin the process of replacing all the lead service lines in the state. State Rep. Lamont Robinson, D-Chicago, has introduced the Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act, a bill creating a plan, funding, and timeline for all lead service lines to be identified and replaced. State Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, will file a Senate companion version. See the full article.
ABC 2 The goal of the Shawano County Historical Society is to preserve pieces of the area’s history, but on Thursday a piece of history was removed. “We’re pulling out the lead service pipe that was put in many, many years ago. We’re actually pulling the new plastic right behind the lead as we pull it out,” said Matt Pleshek, an engineer for the city. The public works department started identifying lead service lines that need to be replaced last year. Morning Journal
See the full article. The city of Lorain has received $479,660 toward lead water service line replacements from the Ohio EPA through the Drinking Water Assistance Fund, according to a news release. Ohio EPA is offering up to $1 million in principal forgiveness for complete lead service line replacements to communities with lead service line replacement programs which address both public and private side lead service line replacements, the release said. The city will use the $479,660 on removing lead service lines as part of the Red Hill Water Main Improvement project. Cathy Proctor
Your Hub Read the full article. Sometimes, you need a village. And that’s exactly what Denver Water built to successfully launch the Lead Reduction Program — a massive public health initiative the likes of which has never been done before — to reduce the risk of lead in drinking water. “Elements of the Lead Reduction Program are being done elsewhere, such as replacing lead service lines or providing pitchers and water filters certified to remove lead, but they’ve never been done all at once, in a compressed timeframe and at the scale that Denver Water is doing,” said Alexis Woodrow, manager of the Lead Reduction Program. And that’s in addition to the massive, behind-the-scenes undertaking by Denver Water’s water quality experts and engineers to increase the pH of the water to better protect customers who have service lines, faucets or fixtures that contain lead in their homes. “We’ve been able to draw on the expertise of many companies and people to launch and manage the program — in the middle of a pandemic,” Woodrow said. Kelly Bauer
Block Club Chicago See the full article CHICAGO — Homeowners who wants to replace their lead service lines can apply for help from the city. The city offers two programs, which are now accepting applications, to help people replace lead service lines. The programs were started last year as the city tries to remove lead water pipes to protect residents. People who want to hire a contractor to remove their home’s lead service line can apply for the Homeowner-Initiated Program. If approved, the city will waive their permit fees, which could save them up to $3,100, and city crews will attach the new service line to the water main and give the homeowner a free water meter for the contractor to install, according to the city’s website. Residents who apply to that program must have been planning to replace their lead service line independent of renovations to their home. |
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May 2021
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