The City of Fargo is mapping out plans to remove all of the remaining lead water service lines at people's homes. Reporter Todd McDonald has details...
“Right now residents can call the water plant to get on a list if they're interested in replacing their lead service line and we're keeping track of that but probably by April 1st the program will roll out and officially be started and we'll actually probably start replacing lead service lines this summer.”
Dan Portlock is assistant water utility director for the city of Fargo. He says the effort follows a Biden administration program to get lead infrastructure out of water distribution systems.
“So with the last funding bill they made available a lot of grant dollars or funding for the states to try and get lead service lines out of people's houses or on the utility side.”
In December the state industrial commission approved a loan to the city from that grant funding. Portlock says the city engineering department has a five-year plan for lead line removal already in place and he says that plan has given the city a strong start in correcting the use of lead service lines.
“So what they try and do is in the older areas of town they try and replace both portions as part of the project the private side and the utility side but some homeowners aren't ready to get theirs replaced so we typically will replace ours and offer it to the homeowner's side the private side to get theirs replaced too. So every project I know the engineering team is looking at trying to replace those service lines.”
Portlock says local residents looking for more information on possible lead service lines running into their homes can contact the city water department.