Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird joined state and local officials on Thursday to launch a new, multi-year lead water service line replacement program to promote the health and safety of Lincoln residents.
The initiative is part of the City of Lincoln’s Lead Safe Lincoln initiative, launched in 2022 to proactively prevent community members’ exposure to lead. The multi-year program is made possible through a $32.6 million loan from the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy. The funding stems from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which allocated $145 million to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program in Nebraska.
“Thanks to this historic funding opportunity made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, our City of Lincoln teams have big plans in the pipeline to ensure that every pipeline in our community is free of lead and provides safe, healthy water for our children and families for years to come,” says Mayor Gaylor Baird.
The first phase of the program is scheduled to launch this spring with the goal of replacing 200 water service lines to homes in the first year at no cost to the property owners. Water service lines are smaller pipelines that connect a home or business to the City’s public water main located under the street.
LTU has identified nearly 6,000 Lincoln properties eligible for service line replacement. Fore more details click here.