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Environmental Defense Fund
The Indiana subsidiary of American Water Company filed a plan in January 2018 with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to fully replace lead service lines (LSLs) in the communities it serves within the next 10 to 24 years. The company estimates that 50,000 of its 300,000 customers in the state have lead pipe in a portion of the service line connecting the main under the street with the building. The plan is the first submitted to the IURC in response to legislation enacted by the Indiana General Assembly in April 2017 and authored by Rep. Heath VanNatter. If the IURC approves the plan, the company can seek Commission approval to include LSL replacement on private property as an eligible infrastructure improvement whose costs can be covered by rates paid by customers. Read the full blog. Finger Lake Times
Steve Buchiere GENEVA — The city is looking to replace lead water- service lines in the coming months. The city has received a $536,000 state grant that allows the lines to be replaced at no cost to property owners, officials said. Homeowners can test their own lines or have city staff do so for them. Read the full article. Environmental Defense Fund
Yesterday, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed legislation that takes an important step to replacing the 240,000 lead service lines (LSLs) in communities across the state. SB-48 allows municipalities and water utilities to provide financial assistance to property owners to replace LSLs on private property. We described the legislation in an earlier blog – and applauded the critical work of state advocates in building support for the law. Ownership issues can complicate LSL replacement, as the property owner typically is responsible for the portion of the water service line on private property. This split-ownership is a crucial challenge for accelerating replacement programs because some states prohibit the use of rate funds to replace LSLs on private property. Wisconsin now joins the ranks of Pennsylvania and Indiana as the third state since Flint became national news to overcome this challenge by passing legislation allowing water utilities to use rates paid by customers to replace LSLs. Read the full blog. Star Tribune
MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Scott Walker has signed a bill designed to help Wisconsin homeowners cover the cost of replacing lead pipes. The measure would allow public water utilities and local governments to provide grants, loans or both to property owners to help them replace portions of lead water pipes running from houses to the street. The governor signed the bill Wednesday in Milwaukee. Read the full article. York Dispatch
Maria Yohn The York Water Co. might finish replacing all of the company-owned lead service lines in less than half the time anticipated, according to CEO/President Jeff Hines. After an EPA-mandated sampling in September 2016 revealed an “actionable amount” of lead in test samples, the company was required to educate its consumers about the findings and replace all company-owned lead service lines over a period of four years. Hines said 1,100 pipes were replaced in 2017, the first year of the plan, and 500 pipes are slated to be replaced in 2018. Read the full article. Auburn Pub
Natalie Brophy The city of Auburn was recently awarded a grant from the state health department to fund the replacement of lead water fixtures in the city's water lines. Director of Municipal Utilities Seth Jensen said the city was notified it had received the $689,134 grant on Dec. 11. The money comes from the state's $20 million Lead Service Line Replacement Program initiative. Read the full article. The Detroit News
Jonathan Oosting Lansing — Gov. Rick Snyder wants water customers across Michigan to pay a $5 annual fee to help upgrade aging infrastructure and replace lead pipes in their local communities. The Republican governor on Thursday proposed a state water fee — a de facto tax for public water customers — that would begin at $1 in 2020 and ramp up to $5 by 2024. When fully implemented, the plan would generate an estimated $110 million a year through 2040, when the fee would end. “Critical updates are necessary to rebuild our state’s failing water infrastructure,” Snyder said in a statement. “Investing in our state’s water infrastructure needs is essential to ensure every Michigander has access to safe drinking water, protect our environment and continue our state’s outstanding economic growth.” Read the full article. |
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February 2023
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