DWSD set to replace 5,000 lead service lines in Detroit this summer
(CBS DETROIT) - The City of Detroit is kicking off construction season with a lead service line replacement project.
Detroit Water and Sewerage Department Director Gary Brown says the goal is to replace all lead services lines by 2038.
There are approximately 80,000 houses in Detroit with lead service lines.
This summer, 5,000 lines are set to be replaced with another 10,000 slated for next year. Three thousand lines have already been replaced.
Mayor Mike Duggan says crews will begin work in disenfranchised neighborhoods with large populations of children and seniors.
In the past lead service line replacements were the responsibility of homeowners. The city is now taking on that responsibility and the full project is expected to cost between $800 million to $1 billion.
The plan will take approximately 10-15 years to complete.
Residents will have to sign a waiver to allow workers inside their homes to make replacements and the work will take two to four hours to complete once crews arrive on site.