Village decides to use ARPA funding to complete lead and copper replacement project

Photo shows the replacement for an old lead line in the trench up to a house. More than 20% of 100+ older homes in the village with lead pipes have already been replaced. The village plans to complete the remediation by June 30, 2023. (Photo courtesy Village of Manchester)

by Marsha Chartrand

It has been almost a year since an alarming-sounding notice was sent out by the Village of Manchester in response to action levels of lead found during recent water testing in the village.

Most homes built prior to 1978 have at one time had lead, galvanized, or copper lines leading from the water mains to the meter. Residents have always been able to get lead testing done, and many homeowners have subsequently had these lines replaced over the years. In early 2020, of the 801 homes the village provides water to, 108 of them still had lead or galvanized service lines. It is water in some of these homes that was found to have elevated levels of lead.

Last October, the village received notification of actionable lead levels in more than 100 homes within the village limits. Although there is no lead in the village’s actual water supply, and the water quality provided by the village water system is very good, there remain a number of older homes where the lines from the water mains to the meter still have lead or galvanized service lines. Although the village already had been working on this for a long time, over the past year the village has been prioritizing the replacement of lead service lines with safe materials. Most of this work has been done by the Village DPW crew, with some additional work done by outside contractors when directional boring needed to be done.

Currently, the number of homes in Manchester whose service lines need replacement stands at 80. Village Manager Michael Sessions, DPW Superintendent Brent Jones, and Water/Wastewater Superintendent Thomas Thompson have been meeting weekly to plan out how to get the work completed quickly. Although the state has allowed 20 years to make the repairs, Village Administration and Village Council have agreed to find a way to expedite this schedule.

Sessions, Jones, and Thompson determined that the cost for the replacement of a lead line with only the DPW crew doing the work would be approximately $2,500 per line. If the lines require boring, the village received a quote from Lester Brothers to do the work at $2,000 per line, so the total cost would be $4,500. There are 45 replacement lines that will require boring work and 35 that require DPW work only, for a total cost to replace the 80 remaining service lines of $319,000.

The funds through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) totaling $226,361.11, plus a refund from a revenue sharing grant from the state of $7,172.00, will be put toward lead line replacement. The remainder of the balance will come out of the DPW wages and equipment budget. The ARPA funds will basically cover out-of-pocket costs to the village, such as boring costs, materials, and concrete cuts, while the remainder will help cover some reimbursements to the DPW wage and equipment costs.

All use of the ARPA funds requires extensive reporting and logging to assure the expenses are qualified. Sessions told the Council at its October 2 meeting that all work to date has already been logged and that they will continue to do so. With Council’s unanimous approval of the plan, the replacement process will be completed within the 2022–23 fiscal year. The DPW has recently completed three lines west of Elton Street on Main, and will continue to replace all lines west of Elton, most of which will require directional boring, before the season ends. Everything east of Elton will continue in the spring and is planned to be completed by June 30, 2023.

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Households with lead service lines running to their homes were notified by the village when they began the process of replacing the lines in 2020, but if you have an older home and don’t know whether you have a lead service line, you can call the village at (734) 428-7877. If you do have lead service lines and want your water tested for lead, you can call the MDHHS Drinking Water Hotline at (844) 934-1315.

Even if you don’t have lead service lines, there may be lead present in older plumbing fixtures and soldering. Everyone can take steps to minimize potential lead exposure by running water before using it. When water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you have a lead service line, it is recommended that you run your water for at least 5 minutes to flush water from both your home plumbing and the lead service line. The water is safe for washing, showering, and bathing. Boiling does not reduce lead.

Additionally, you can reduce the lead in your drinking and cooking water with a lead-reducing filter. Filters cost about $35 and their replacement cartridges cost about $15. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is providing lead-reducing water filters to village households served by municipal water who meet specific criteria, including those with children under 18 or pregnant women in the home, who cannot afford a water filter. Filters are available at Village Hall, 912 City Rd, Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4pm.

by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.