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American City & County
Michelle M. Havich Read the full article. Five municipalities were selected by the Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) to participate in a Lead-Free Water Challenge with the goal of helping them replace all of their lead pipes. The municipalities will receive technical assistance, connections to resources and funders, policy guidance and information sharing. EPIC has teamed up with Blue Conduit, WaterPIO, Center for Geospatial Solutions and other partners to deliver technical assistance to these five municipalities. The Lead-Free Water Challenge is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Spring Point Partners. The chosen municipalities will receive technical assistance, connections to resources and funders, policy guidance, and information-sharing through peer networks. Daily Herald
Elena Ferrarin Read the full article. The village of Palatine will reimburse residents for two-thirds of the cost of replacing their own lead pipes. The village council unanimously approved Tuesday night the creation of new water service line replacement cost-sharing program, to be funded by $300,000 in grant money from the Northwest Water Commission. The village received a total $582,000 from the commission and allocated $282,000 to water system improvements and technology upgrades. There about 310 residential lead water lines in Palatine, out of a total 19,000 or so. The Woodstock Sentinel-Review
Tyler Kula Read the full article. With a fewer-than-expected number of homes in Sarnia’s southwest being found with lead service lines seeping the toxic metal into drinking water, the city can afford to foot the full bill of replacing those water pipes, city officials say. “This puts us in a great position where hopefully, within a few years, we can declare ourselves lead-free,” said operations and engineering general manager David Jackson. “That’s very exciting.” Since 2019, Sarnia has been testing homes for high levels of lead in drinking water. The provincial limit is 10 micrograms per litre, or 10 parts per billion. The Municipal
Denise Fedorow Read the full article. There’s no denying that the Flint, Mich., water crisis in 2014 shone a light on the issue of lead in drinking water and the potential hazards lurking underground in many cities and towns. There’s also no denying the nation’s infrastructure — including water mains — is aging and in need of replacement. Officials in Newark, N.J., said thanks to the collaborative efforts of government officials and private parties, they’ve made “remarkable” progress in replacing the lead lines in the city, one of the oldest in the U.S. They could accelerate what was initially expected to be an 8- to 10-year project to a two- to three-year one. Director of Water and Sewer Kareem Adeem said Newark’s first lead lines were installed in the 1850s, with the last one being installed in 1952. The city has good records going back that far, and through them, there are 18,700 known and another 6,000 unknown lead lines, for a total of 24,000. As of mid-May, the city has already abated almost 22,000 households and 19,000 lines. Frankfort To Participate In $1.84 Million Loan Program From IEPA To Replace Lead Service Lines7/12/2021
Patch; Richard Free Press
Jon DePaolis Read the full article. FRANKFORT, Ill. — The Village of Frankfort has been approved for a loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency that will allow for the removal and replacement of 200 lead service lines. The IEPA loan, approved by a 6-0 vote by the Village Board of Trustees as part of the Consent Agenda, is in the amount of $1.84 million. "The project is financed from the Water Revolving Fund with 100% principal forgiveness," Trustee Margaret Farina said during the discussion. "The project will include removal and replacement of approximately 200 lead service lines throughout the Village, replacing the service line from the water main to the residential water meter. Construction will commence during late summer of 2021 and [be] completed by the end of 2022. Participation in this program is completely voluntary but is encouraged." CNN
Ella Nilsen Read the full article. CNN — While some major climate provisions have been stripped out of a bipartisan infrastructure deal between the White House and a group of moderate senators, President Joe Biden’s vow to replace all of the nation’s lead pipes lines is a no-brainer, one of the president’s top environmental officials told CNN. If money for lead pipe replacement makes it into the package, it could be one of the administration’s few bipartisan wins on environmental issues. The White House says replacing the pipes would reduce lead exposure in 400,000 schools and childcare facilities, and improve the health of American children and communities of color. “With this bipartisan infrastructure framework, we are still committed to 100 percent lead line replacement,” EPA administrator Michael Regan told CNN on Thursday, “and we believe there will be billions of dollars to invest in other water infrastructure projects as well." Telegraph Herald
Read the full article. EAST DUBUQUE, Iowa -- East Dubuque officials are working to apply for a grant to replace lead water lines, but they need to know where they all are. An online announcement from City Manager Loras Herrig states that the sought-after grant "will cover 100% of the expense to replace the water service line from the city main to the house." "There will be no charge to the resident," it stated. "It is extremely rare to receive a grant that pays for everything, so we want to take advantage of this opportunity. As part of the application, we need to identify the address of every house that has a lead water line. If we do not include the address of the original application, it will not be funded." Daily Herald
Elena Ferrarin Read the full article. The village of Barrington has a plan in place to quickly apply for any funding that becomes available to replace lead pipes, also called service lines, in town. The lead service line replacement project plan outlines the location of lead pipes, the environmental impacts of replacement and possible loan repayment mechanisms. The plan was done by the consulting company Engineering Enterprises Inc. The village held a public hearing June 28 about it and received no comment from members of the public. "All the village is doing at this time is being proactive to make itself eligible, hopefully, for grants in the future, or for very low-interest loans in the future, that would reduce the burdens on the residents, hopefully significantly," Public Works Director Jeremie Lukowicz said Tuesday. Independent Newsgroup
Read the full article. During a special meeting Monday, June 28, Owosso City Council held a public hearing on a lead and galvanized service line replacement project. Owosso Utilities Director Ryan Suchanek offered a summary of the plan as the city is currently seeking $3 million in funding to replace lead/galvanized service lines over a three-year period starting next spring, with some leeway offered to a fourth-year extension if needed. Council approved going forward with the project, authorizing Suchanek to represent the city on the issue. “This is a need,” Suchanek stated during the meeting. “This is something that has been mandated by the state’s LCR Rule.” 90.5 WESA
Margaret Fleming Read the full article. The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority is halfway to meeting its goal of replacing all of the city’s lead services lines by 2026. A new water-treatment additive called orthophosphate brought lead levels down to their lowest in 20 years, but that hasn’t changed construction plans. “The fact that we're keeping our foot on the gas pedal, even though we don't have to continue to replace lead lines because that treatment is working, is what's a unique part of our program,” said PWSA CEO Will Pickering. PWSA has replaced more than 8,500 public lead service lines and more than 5,000 private lines since 2017 through the Community Lead Response program, according to Pickering. If crews encounter a private lead line while replacing the public one, they’ll replace both at the same time at no direct charge to customers. More than 90 percent of property owners signed an agreement to allow PWSA to replace their private service line, Pickering said. |
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July 2021
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