Oakland County to replace 8,200 lead water lines in Pontiac over next 20 years

The Oakland Press
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By Mark Cavitt

​​The Oakland County Water Resource Commissioner's (WRC) Office is planning to replace over 8,000 lead water lines in the City of Pontiac over the next 20 years. 

Under the 2018 lead and copper rule signed into law by former Gov. Rick Snyder, public water providers statewide, including the WRC who overtook management of Pontiac's water system in 2015, are required to replace all lead water service lines within their service area by 2041. Around 40 percent of the city's water service lines are known to, or likely, contain lead, according to Jim Nash, Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner. 

The WRC has applied for $8.97 million in grant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help replace 1,160 lead service lines from 2021 through 2024 at a cost of $9.97 million. This four-year project will impact 3,500 to 4,000 Pontiac residents. The entire project, expected to take 20 years, will cost between $45 million and $60 million and include the replacement of over 8,000 lead water service lines across the city, which includes residential and small businesses. 

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