Nebraska, EPA to replace lead water service lines at 200 homes in Lincoln

(UI) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister joined leaders from the city of Lincoln, Nebraska, as they kicked off the first phase of their Lincoln Lead Water Service Line Replacement work.

The event was held at a residence in Lincoln’s Woods Park neighborhood. The home is one of the initial 200 properties within the city to have its water service line replaced at no cost to the property owner.

Lincoln chose these initial 200 homes using EPA-recommended criteria, including property records, blood lead levels in children, social vulnerability data, and the risk of lead exposure due to the amount of lead in service lines.

“Thanks to historic federal resources and our strong partnerships with the EPA and State of Nebraska, the City of Lincoln is leading the way toward making every water service line in our community free of lead and providing safe, healthy water for our children and families for years to come,” said Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird.

The lead service line replacement program is part of the city’s Lead Safe Lincoln initiative and is funded through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocations to the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DW SRF). Through a $32.6 million DW SRF loan, Lincoln plans to replace about 2,000 service lines over the next five years.

In May 2024, EPA announced the latest allotment of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding – over $28 million – to Nebraska for lead service line identification and replacement. Over the past three years, over $85 million dollars in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for lead service line replacements has been allotted to Nebraska’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

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