Getting the lead out of water

Duluth began working on a pilot project to replace lead water service lines along a six block stretch of East Eighth Street at a cost of nearly $1.3 million. Duluth will be using the American Rescue Plan Act Money to pay consultants and develop a detailed action plan in hopes the city is successful in applying for state funds. The city is hoping to rid its municipal water system of lead, both in city-owned infrastructure and on private property.

“This new job we’re doing about 75 LED services, they’re being installed right now up on East Eighth Street, and the city is paying 100% of the cost to replace both the public and privately owned portion through American Rescue Plan Funds,” says Eric Schaffer, chief engineer of the city of Duluth.

The whole project is being done as Duluth’s water infrastructure continues to age. Pipes underground are getting to be 100-years old and are most likely part of the reason the city of Duluth fixes os many water main breaks in a single week. We asked Eric for some tips on how to avoid lead in your water.

“Flush your water service first thing in the morning, take a shower first, potentially something like that. So you run a few minutes’ worth of water out into the sink or into the tub prior to drinking anything. And then also the city recommends everyone get a filter. You can easily buy filters that you can mount directly on your sink that will remove the lead,” he continues.