Detroit to replace 15,000 lead service lines in next two years - Detroit News

Detroit to replace 15,000 lead service lines in next two years
Sarah Rahal

Detroit ― City water leaders plan to replace 15,000 lead water pipes in the next two years under a new effort they announced Friday that will start in a neighborhood on Detroit's southwest side.

Last fall, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department allocated $100 million in funding to speed up the replacement of the city's estimated 80,000 lead service lines in the city at no additional cost to its customers. The department plans to replace 5,000 lines this year and 10,000 annually beginning in 2024.

DWSD Director Gary Brown said Detroit's water quality continues to be safe and there are no children with elevated levels of lead in their blood where the source was drinking water.

“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," Brown said. "Thanks to federal funding, we can accelerate the pace of lead service line replacements and have no impact on the water rates."

Lead service lines are what carry treated water from the public water main to the house. When lead leaches from water pipes, the toxic metal can get into the drinking water supply.

Michigan's lead pipe law, the most stringent in America and implemented in the wake of the Flint water crisis, requires all lead service lines to be replaced over two decades, city officials said. Detroit houses built before 1945 likely have a lead service line unless the pipe was replaced in recent years.

DWSD is prioritizing replacing lines in areas that have the most density of homes built prior to 1945, with a significant amount of children and seniors in the area or are in low-income households. Brown said it could be years before crews get to Detroit's northwest neighborhoods that were built after the end of World War II in 1945.

Once replaced, the copper pipes last 50 years. In the last three years, the city has replaced 3,000 lead pipelines but hopes to accelerate the program using a variety of small, medium and large contractors working cohesively.

In Claytown, a neighborhood in southwest Detroit along the Dearborn border, 5,000 pipes will be replaced this year. Previously, DWSD would replace lead service lines while on the same street they were replacing a water main pipe.

Of the $100 million allocation, $75 million is coming from American Rescue Plan Act pandemic funding through the Michigan Department of Environmental, Great Lakes and Energy, $10 million from Michigan Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, $5 million from Environmental Protection Agency, and $10 million from DWSD's capital improvement funds.

“When people think 'How could this happen?' Here's the reality, the lead lines in this country are in the older cities and tend to be in the lower income cities," Mayor Mike Duggan said. "So, when it comes time to replace them, the people who need the most help have the least ability to bare the cost. Too many cities have deferred this until it's too late."

The cost of residential lead service line replacement, which requires excavation at the curbstop valve and uses a boring method to install the new line to the home, is about $8,000-$10,000 per house, Brown said.

Brown said more state and federal funding will be needed to replace all of Detroit's estimated 80,000 lead service lines.

"Outside funding is essential to have no impact on water rates," Brown said.

By end of May, DWSD will post a request for contract bids seeking small contractors to bid on replacing as few as 250 water service lines, and for larger contractors to bid on replacing up to 2,500 lead service lines.

Contractors will be required to adhere to a city policy that Detroiters get 51% of the manhours.

Tiffany Jones, director of opportunity and inclusion at DWSD, looked at contractors that have already completed work on similar lead service line replacement projects, including Benton Harbor, Flint and Eastpointe, and contractors for the City of Detroit Basement Backup Protection Program. So far, she organized 15 meetings, representing more than 50 organizations. The meetings provide an overview, including the procurement process, and allow the opportunity for contractors to ask questions.

Through this effort, DWSD has secured the services of Milwaukee-based Five Star Energy Services for the first $25 million contract. It has committed to hiring and training Detroiters and is leasing property on the west side of the city for equipment and office staging purposes. Five Star has done lead service line replacements in Flint, Benton Harbor and Denver.

DWSD will begin hiring 17 field service technicians to create three in-house crews to replace lead service lines. The field services technician position is already posted at https://detroitmi.gov/jobs and DWSD is accepting applications.

When a lead service line is verified, DWSD gets owner or adult occupant permission (including tenant) to replace the full lead service line, including the private portion and get access to connect it to the home plumbing through the water meter. DWSD warranties the work for one year before the property owner resumes ownership of their portion. Under this program, there is no cost to the property owner to have the pipe replaced.

The DWSD lead service line replacement program is featured in this video.

Residents are encouraged to watch this video to determine if they have a lead service line and join a wait list for replacement at https://detroitmi.gov/lslr.

A pitcher filter and cartridge are also delivered to all houses on the street of the water main replacement as a precautionary measure, and for individual lead service line replacement. This action was initiated in 2017 after the Flint water crisis. Lead-reducing pitcher filters were chosen since homes have different faucet fixtures.

srahal@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @SarahRahal_