What it'll cost to replace Columbus' lead pipes
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The city of Columbus is working to replace thousands of lead water lines ahead of a federal deadline, though the full scope of the project isn't yet known.
Why it matters: Ingesting lead causes health problems and no amount is safe, per the CDC and EPA.
- Officials estimate the Lead Service Line Replacement Program will cost the city about $1 billion.
How it works: Service lines connect homes to city water mains, usually under a street. Part is under public property and part is under private property, and some or all of it may need replacing.
- Columbus prohibited lead lines in 1963, so they're mostly concentrated in older areas like the Hilltop, Westgate, German Village, Linden and Olde Towne East, Division of Water regulatory compliance adviser Emilie Eskridge tells Axios.
- The city is still collecting data to verify where lead is located.
How to help: Find your address on this map to see if replacement is necessary at your property. Each dot symbolizes a home's service line, split in two, representing the public and the private sides.
- If your private pipe material is "unknown," you need to prove it isn't lead.
- City Council recently made the process easier. Instead of hiring a contractor to verify, which could cost $100 or more, residents can now do it themselves and submit a photo.
By the numbers: Almost 25,000 lead service lines are verified, per the city's latest figures.
- Another 14,000 are galvanized steel and will need to be replaced because they're downstream from lead and may have particles stuck to them, says Public Utilities department spokesperson George Zonders.
- Over 58,000 are still listed as "unknown material."
Threat level: Columbus has "extremely effective corrosion control, which means that we very rarely see detectable levels of lead in our distribution system," Eskridge says.
Follow the money: The city will cover all costs for replacements that follow its schedule.
- If homeowners want to replace a pipe sooner, a city assistance program allows them to put a lien on their property to pay for it themselves, up to $10,000.
- A full lead service line replacement costs an average of $4,700, ranging from $1,200 to $12,300, the EPA estimates.
What's next: The federal deadline to replace all pipes nationwide is Nov. 1, 2037. The city will notify you if replacement is imminent in your area. The first notices went out last month.
ICYMI: The city is also replacing its aging water meters — a separate, $125 million project.