RELEASE
Media Contact:
Jodi Wallin
Jodi.Wallin@ci.stpaul.mn.us
651-266-6308
SAINT PAUL, MN-- Saint Paul Regional Water Services (SPRWS), marked the start of a 10-year commitment to ensure long-term drinking water quality by removing lead service lines in both public and private property at an event held July 12.
Up until the late 1920s, water service lines delivering water into the home were made of lead. SPRWS been working since the 1980s to eliminate these lead service lines from our system. The Lead Free SPRWS program is designed to remove the remaining 26,000 lead service lines in system by 2032. The program is voluntary and free to the homeowner.
“It’s an ambitious goal that the Board of Water Commissioners set to completely remove all lead service lines from both the public and private property,” said SPRWS General Manager Patrick Shea. “It is one of the largest investments of its kind in the Midwest.”
“Replacing drinking water infrastructure is a critical need,” said Chris Tolbert, Saint Paul City Council member and Board of Water Commissioner. “Providing safe drinking water to our residents is vital to their health and safety.”
“We are proud to leverage American Rescue Plan dollars for this massive effort to replace lead service lines to our residents’ homes,” said Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. “Not only does this project offer peace of mind for families, it offers jobs and job training to Saint Paulites ready to work.”
This is a $300 million investment over 10 years. The $200 million from bipartisan infrastructure act dedicated to Minnesota for lead replacement is a good down payment, though more is necessary to finish the job. More assistance from our state and federal partners is needed to help replace these lead service lines with copper.
For more information, go to stpaul.gov/water.