The first wave of lead water service line replacements began in Lincoln’s Wood Park Neighborhood on Tuesday, apart of the city’s initiative to replace nearly 2,000 lead service lines in Lincoln over the next five years.
The voluntary program, apart of the Lead Safe Lincoln initiative launched in 2022, aims to have the first 200 line replacements done by July 2025. Since the line replacement program was announced in February, 125 property owners in the Woods Park, North Bottoms, Downtown, Hawley, and Malone neighborhoods have signed up for the program.
“The City of Lincoln is leading the way toward making every water service line in our community free of lead and providing safe, healthy water for our children and families for years to come,” said Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird during a streetside press conference in Woods Park on Tuesday, joined by Lincoln Transportation and Utilities (LTU) Director Liz Elliot.
Elliott said the first wave of homes to be served, such as those in the Woods Park Neighborhood, were identified using criteria recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These factor in property records, the risk of lead exposure due to the amount of lead in service lines, blood lead levels in children, and social vulnerability data.
“The City’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program is key to reducing property owners’ exposure to lead and may also help increase the property’s overall value. On average, a single water service line replacement can cost a homeowner $5,000 to $10,000,” Elliott said.
Water service lines are smaller, privately owned pipelines that connect a home or business to the City’s public water main located under the street. The City will contact property owners via mail and will schedule in-home inspections prior to the work. A City-contracted plumbing company will complete the replacement work.
Homeowner Lisa Thompson is one of the first property owners to sign up and receive a lead service line replacement through the Lead Service Line Replacement Program. She said without the program, she would not have been able to afford the replacement on her own.
“I was thrilled to find out that the City’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program pays for the entire replacement,” Thompson said. “There is no catch. No co-pay. And I even get a $100 credit on my water bill to help take care of my grass. A triple bonus. I am grateful to live in a city that is so proactive and takes steps to care for its residents to help ensure safe access to water for all.”
In May, the EPA announced the latest allotment of more than $28 million, being funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to help Nebraska identify and replace old lead service lines. Over the past three years, more than $85 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for lead service line replacements has been allotted to Nebraska’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
The service line replacement project is part of a multi-year program made possible through a $32.6 million loan from the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy.
For more information and to determine whether your property service line is lead or galvanized, visit lincoln.ne.gov.