Kalamazoo hits halfway point on replacing lead service lines

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — More than 5,000 lead service lines have been replaced ahead of a 2037 goal to replace 10,000 lines around Kalamazoo.

City leaders marked the milestone along with a White House adviser Thursday by visiting a job site near LaCrone Park.

“This is something we have been dreaming of doing for a long time. Just the fact we can do this and make this difference is so important,” Mayor David Anderson said.

While officials say there is no lead in the drinking water, it could enter the water through pipes and other fixtures containing lead — a problem exposed when water that was not properly treated was fed through lines in Flint .

Since 2017, Kalamazoo City Department of Public Works crews and contractors have ramped up work to replace every lead service line in the city. Hundreds of the old lines have been swapped out for shining new copper lines and a sense of reassurance that the water at home is safe.

Public Works Director James Baker said the work has not been easy nor quick at the start. He said the city began with a program to change out lines in 1991. In 2016, a review highlighted the need to accelerate the work. Soon, swapping lines became part of neighborhood construction projects. But that wasn’t enough.

“So we transitioned to a neighborhood plan that focuses on neighborhoods. And we started in Kalamazoo Township Eastwood neighborhood, Kalamazoo city East Side neighborhood. And then we worked our way west, and we’re working our way west and south,” Baker said.

He said the aggressive approach made it a point to replace 500 lines per year, with some years changing out more.

Baker said service lines in the  Edison neighborhood are next on the list, with 1,300 replacements in store.

“By the year 2027, we’ll have 7,600 lead service lines completed in Kalamazoo, well towards our goal of 10,000,” Baker said.

The confident projection comes after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a final rule requiring all lead pipes in drinking water systems across the United States to be found and replaced in 10 years.

FUNDING THE PUSH

Kalamazoo officials say the funding fueling this project is a mix of state and federal dollars. Baker said the application first goes to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. Some resources from the state’s drinking water revolving fund are applied and then federal money is added to the mix.

The current project has been funded by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as well as the American Rescue Plan.

“We’ve got 1,300 new replacements, in addition to that 5,000 that are under contract, ready to start in the Edison neighborhood in November and we just received funding for another 1,300 lead service lines to start in Edison the following year,” Baker said.

THE FINAL YARD

The service line replacement project swaps out the line connecting the water main to a home or building. But what if there are concerns of lead contamination inside the home?

Baker said that’s where the city’s filter program comes into play. People who live in Kalamazoo can apply online to request a free water filter made to capture lead particles. Baker said it’s a critical tool for keeping the water at home clean, especially during line projects.

“(The replacement work is) pretty invasive. We could create some particulate that could come off the pipe, so we want to make sure folks inside the home are using a filter when we’re doing those lead service line replacements,” he explained.

As for the piping inside the home, the public works department is already at work on corrosion control. A formula coats the interior of the piping to prevent any lead from leaching.

“We continue to provide lead testing and we’re going to be continuing to be regulated by EGLE to have that optimized corrosion control program and that lead and copper program, even once we replace all of our lead pipes. And the reason for that is to make sure that we’re still protecting folks that may not have the ability to update their pipes in their home,” Baker said.

He said the city is looking for ways to connect citizens to funding help to replace lead piping in home interiors.

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