Detroit Accelerates Lead Service Line Replacement Program, Exceeding Targets with State Grant

Detroit’s Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) is intensifying its lead service line replacement initiative. The department aims to remove over 1,000 aging lead lines per month, funded in part by an $85 million state grant. Last year, DWSD established a goal to replace approximately 80,000 lead lines over the next decade. Director Gary Brown announced that the department has already exceeded its initial target of replacing 150 lines per week. Brown, alongside Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Director Phillip Roos, provided an update on the city’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program. The comprehensive undertaking is estimated to cost around $800 million. Despite challenges posed by the aging infrastructure, Detroit’s drinking water remains below the lead action level at 9 parts per billion (ppb). The current state action level for lead is 15 ppb, slated to reduce to 12 ppb in January 2025. Mayor Duggan emphasized Detroit’s proactive approach, stating, “Detroit is different than a lot of other cities in America. We didn’t wait until we had a health problem. We are getting ahead of it and replacing those lead lines before we have any sign of it.” Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration...