As part of DWSD’s Full Lead Service Line Replacement) program, staff begin community education outreach and contractors are excavating and replacing lead service lines in Detroit neighborhoods (2021).
Photos courtesy of Detroit Water and Sewage Department
The city of Detroit is being awarded a cumulative $100 million fund to significantly accelerate the lead service line replacement program. The influx of state and federal grants allows Detroit Water and Sewage Department DWSD), in partnership with the Great Lakes Water Authority, to replace the estimated 80,000 lead service lines in the city over the next three years.
The city estimates total replacement costs at $10,000 per home, but city services will be at no additional cost to residents.
“Our plan to is mobilize our crew to go to each house on the list,” said Bryan Peckinpaugh, public affairs director at DWSD. “Each house will be investigated and excavated at the stop box in the front yard where the valve turns the water on and off. We need to see what kind of material the service line is and if it’s lead, replace that portion, whether on the city’s side or private side.”
Lead pipes are commonly found in service lines connecting street water mains to residential homes. National use of lead pipes was mostly halted in the 1950s as public awareness campaigns grew to warn of the danger of lead poisoning. Beginning in 1945, Detroit stopped allowing the installation of lead piping for water service lines.
Detroit houses built before 1945 are likely to have a lead service line unless the pipe was replaced in recent years.
In 2018, in response to the Flint water crisis changes were made to the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act to address public water systems that haven’t yet begun replacing lead-tainted water service. Michigan was given a timeline of 20 years to complete the job, although it can seek extensions by rolling lead line replacement into a broader water infrastructure plan. Policy changes also required the acceptable amount of lead, or lead action level, to have 12 parts per billion (ppb) of lead or less, down from 15 ppb.
That same year, DWSD implemented Full Lead Service Line Replacement (FLSLR) as part of capital-funded construction, replacing an estimated 2,000 lead service lines to date.
With the city’s estimated tens of thousands of lead service lines still pending replacement, the recent funding comes after years of engaging federal agencies and Congress for additional support to dramatically ramp up the capacity of the FLSLR pilot program.
The recent $100 million for Detroit’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program is comprised of $75 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds through Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE); $10 million from Michigan Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (DWSRF); $5 million from an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WIIN grant; and $10 million from the DWSD Capital Improvement Program.
The Michigan Lead & Copper Rule, as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), requires all lead service lines to be replaced over the next 20 years. The rigorous policy is meant to protect public health by minimizing lead and copper levels in drinking water, which mainly are caused from corrosion of the lead- and copper-containing plumbing materials.
In a statement, DWSD Director Gary Brown said, “Annual testing shows the water leaving the treatment plants is well within state and federal safety guidelines. While there is no evidence to suggest lead service lines are a contributor to elevated blood lead levels in Detroit, they do pose a risk. As part of DWSD’s commitment to safe drinking water, we will eventually replace all residential lead service lines in our city.”
To save on cost and travel, residential streets that are already on the docket to be serviced for water main breaks will be prioritized for public and private property lead line replacement.
Currently, 800 homes citywide that are on a waiting list for inspection and lead line replacement either had their water sampled by DWSD or children tested for high elevated lead levels, will be serviced in the next few weeks.
In March or April 2023, the $75 million funding will be implemented to service the remaining lead lines at 5,000 lines per year. The city has contracted Ann Arbor-based data and software firm, BlueConduit, to use its innovative machine-learning system to consolidate Detroit’s home permit data to identify houses built before 1945. The residential locations will be tracked and grouped into neighborhood clusters so that contractors can replace lead lines according to each district.
Community outreach to residents will begin 40 days in advance of construction. During that time, DWSD will provide pitcher filters during all water main replacements during meter change-outs and during service line work as a precautionary measure.
In addition, residents will be supplied a FLSLR packet with a folder containing a notice, frequently asked questions, flushing information and a homeowner/occupant (tenant) agreement to authorize replacement of the private portion.
“We do have tremendously good water in the city of Detroit and DWSD has been making a great effort over the years to make sure we are within the Safe Water and Drinking Act standards,” said Peckinpaugh.
“The water tastes good and it’s not compromised. The outreach we are doing is to let people know our lead pipe replacement work and they don’t have to pay for it. They will have a 12-month warranty after replacement and the private side of the pipe line by your home will then return to their responsibility.”
Residents are strongly advised to take the following steps to reduce exposure to lead in their water:
- Run your water to flush out lead.
- Use only cold water for drinking and cooking.
- Use only filtered water or bottled water for preparing baby formula.
- Do Not boil water to remove lead.
- Consider using a filter to reduce lead in drinking water.
- Get your child tested.
- Identify older plumbing fixtures that likely contain lead.
- Clear your aerator.
To learn how to visually verify your service line material, watch the DWSD video for a guided tutorial.
Residents interested in requesting their water to be tested are strongly encouraged to visit detroitmi.gov/leadsafe and search “lead and copper sample request form” or call Detroit Lead Safe Resource Line at 313-267-8000 and press option 7 for further assistance.
Once you visually verify you have a lead pipe coming into your home from the water main, add your home to the DWSD Lead Service Line Replacement Program wait list at detroitmi.gov/lslr.
