July 31, 2019 12:5p
(WGTD)---Relatively few Kenosha property owners have taken advantage of a nearly one-year-old program that’s designed to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water.
The new program covers half of the cost of replacing lead lines from the curb into a home or business. The other half can be covered by low-interest loans from the utility. The average cost of replacing a lead lateral--the pipe between the curb and structure-- is around $4,000, according to Utility Manager Curt Czarnecki.
Between 10,000 and 11,000 notifications were sent out to homes and businesses in the older neighborhoods of town where lead pipes are predominant.
About 1,000 responded. Inspectors were assigned to visit each home to examine the pipes and test the water. The inspectors explained the program, answered any questions and dropped off a filter free-of-charge.
Of the 1,000, only about 130 property owners elected to replace their service and use the program, Czarnecki said.
The reluctance, he says, was due in part to water samples coming back with lead concentrations well within Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. The utility minimizes the problem of lead leaching off the pipes and getting into the water because the utility routinely adds an anti-corrosive agent to the water at the filtration plant.
As for the participation rate, Czarnecki said it's in line with what other municipalities have experienced with comparable programs.
What's next? It'll be up to the water board to decide whether to continue the program next year.
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