The City of Lincoln is making progress towards replacing nearly 6,000 lead service lines by 2035.
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird provided an update this morning on her Lead Safe Lincoln Initiative, announcing that Lincoln Transportation and Utilities (LTU) crews have replaced 138 lead and galvanized water service lines with safe copper pipes at no cost to property owners since the project began in July 2024. Additionally, assessments of 59 homes determined that they did not require replacement.
Having completed work in the Woods Park, North Bottoms, and Hawley neighborhoods, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and LTU Director Liz Elliot announced that the city is now preparing to contact the next group of 1,000 property owners in portions of the Everett, Near South, Irvingdale, and South Salt Creek neighborhoods this spring. Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2025 and continue through 2026. The City will contact residents in the Salt Creek Area Neighborhood in 2026 with plans for construction in 2026 to 2027.
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 contacts property owners via mail and schedules in-home inspections prior to the work. A City-contracted plumbing company completes the replacement work.
Elliott said replacement work is guided by data that indicates areas showing a greater density of lead and lead contaminated galvanized steel service lines, elevated blood levels of lead in children, social vulnerability, and risk to lead exposure due to the amount of lead in the service line.
“Replacing your own lead service line can cost a property owner up to $10,000,” Elliott said. “We encourage property owners to take advantage of this program while it’s active in their neighborhood.”
The initiative launched in 2022 to proactively prevent community members’ exposure to lead. The project is made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided $32.6 million in federal loan funding to this program, and by partners at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, and the Lincoln City Council. The lead replacement program is estimated to cost $55 million to replace the 6,000 service lines. The program is voluntary, and there is no cost to the property owners for the line replacement service.
For more information and to determine whether your property service line is lead or galvanized, visit: lincoln.ne.gov/Lead-Safe-Lincoln.