The City of Watertown’s Water Utility is taking steps to reduce lead in drinking water with the help of the Private Lead Service Line Replacement Program. This year the city was able to obtain a grant from the Department of Natural Resources and hire a contractor to replace more homes’ lead laterals at no cost to those citizens, stated the City of Watertown.
To make the most of the DNR grant, the city decided to replace as many lead service lines as possible by focusing on the area of Watertown with the highest concentration of likely lead laterals in the center of the city. The homeowners affected were notified through mail earlier this year.
According to the City of Watertown, In 2021, 140 lead laterals were replaced. This year, 463 homes are scheduled to have their lead laterals replaced. The city’s goal is to be lead free in ten years. For more information and to see a map of lead and non-lead laterals, visit https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f810ba4742ec49c79e4d830b3c983f76.
The City of Watertown stated a water lateral, or service line, is a pipe that delivers water into the home from the city’s water system. Lead was used as water service piping up until 1950, when copper piping became more popular. Lead continued to be used in soldered joints up until 1984.
Excessive levels of lead can damage the brain, kidneys, nervous system, red blood cells and reproductive organs. The degree of harm is directly related to the level of lead in the blood. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there is no safe level of lead exposure.
“We were fortunate to be awarded these funds through the DNR’s Private Lead Service Line Replacement Program,” Mayor McFarland said. “Normally the city would be able to cover the cost of replacing some of the lead lateral, but a homeowner typically needs to pay to replace the portion that is on their property. The fact that this grant saves that cost for our citizens makes it easier to remove all the lead line at once. Eliminating lead in drinking water means better health for our city’s families,” said McFarland.
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