Water line lead removal continues for Michigan city
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — More than 400 water service lines in Benton Harbor have been replaced or verified to be free of lead, according to state officials.
City officials also are reviewing bids from contractors for the removal of an estimated 3,900 lead service lines, Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services said this week in a release.
Accelerated work is expected to start in March. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has directed that all of the city’s lead lines be replaced by spring 2023, officials said.
Service lines connect city water mains to homes and businesses. Lines made of lead are a source of lead contamination in drinking water.
Elevated lead levels in water from taps over several years have resulted in residents being forced to use bottled water being provided by the state. Lead can slow cognitive development and is especially dangerous for children.
Much of the water distribution network in Benton Harbor is around 100 years old. The city of roughly 9,100 residents about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Chicago is predominantly Black and mostly low-income.
In the wake of the Flint water crisis, Michigan passed the nation’s tightest requirements for reducing lead in drinking water, implementing new testing standards and timelines for lead pipe replacement. Despite those changes, advocacy groups in September told the Environmental Protection Agency in a petition that city and state officials had not acted quickly enough to address Benton Harbor’s problems.
Related News
From Archive
- Alaska LNG pipeline could require 7,000 workers at peak construction, developers say
- Ohio trench collapse kills one worker, injures two during pipe installation
- California invests $590 million to boost water reliability, upgrade sewer systems statewide
- Dominion proposes 186-mile underground HVDC power line across Virginia
- Inside Sempra’s 72-mile pipeline with 18 major trenchless crossings
- Glenfarne Alaska LNG targets late-2026 construction start for 807-mile pipeline project
- Massive water line failure leaves majority of Waterbury without service
- Infrastructure failure releases 100,000 gallons of wastewater in Houston; repairs ongoing
- Construction jobs stumble into 2026 after weak year
- Worm-like robot burrows underground to cut power line installation costs
Comments