By Brandon T. Bisceglia
The Board of Aldermen at their July 6 meeting approved an agreement to allow the Regional Water Authority to replace lead and galvanized pipes it had identified around the city – including at the building in which the aldermen were sitting.
The RWA will replace the pipes at no cost to the city.
Though the RWA has the right to replace the service lines that it owns, it needed permission from the aldermen to come onto city property. The section of pipe beyond the curb is generally the responsibility of the property owner, not the utility.
RWA Director of Public Affairs Kevin Watsey told the board that RWA had so far identified 12 lead lines around the city, as well as over 100 galvanized lines.
“We have a few hundred lines that we just don’t know yet,” he said. “Another part of our program is to try and identify those lines, and they will be replaced also if they qualify.”
The RWA online lead map shows that City Hall has a galvanized line on the utility side and a lead line on the city property side.
“We plan on doing this building as the first replacement in that program,” Watsey said of City Hall.
Many water pipes around the country – especially in areas like Connecticut with older infrastructure – are made of lead. Corrosion can cause the pipes to leach lead into drinking water. Lead can cause nervous system and developmental problems, and there is no safe level of lead for children.
Galvanized steel pipes also need to be replaced because they can trap lead particles from service lines and are prone to corrosion that then releases that lead into drinking water. Galvanized pipes were largely discontinued in the 1960s.
The US Environmental Protection Agency in 2024 published a rule requiring water systems to replace all lead service lines and galvanized service lines between 2027 and 2037.
The RWA is launching its line replacement program in Milford, since 12 of 17 known lead lines are there.
“Because this area has the highest density of lead service lines in the system, the RWA is maximizing efficiency by starting replacements in this area,” the RWA website says.
The pipes will be replaced with copper, according to Watsey.
“We are required to replace all lead service lines in our service territory for those who want them replaced. Any homeowner, any business can opt out of this program. If you do opt out, we are required to send you four letters a year confirming that you are opting out,” he said.
Watsey said the RWA had been working since the 1970s to remove lead pipes from its service lines, meaning that most of the remaining lines are on property owners’ side. He also said the authority treats water passing through known lead pipes to prevent leaching and regularly tests that water.
The RWA’s lead map shows other locations scattered throughout the city with lead or galvanized lines, most of them at residential homes or businesses.
There are also several galvanized lines in Orange – most notably at the historic Stone-Otis House on Orange Center Road.