Aqua Lead Service Line Replacement
Water infrastructure in the West Chester area will be improved thanks to a $6 million loan to Aqua Pennsylvania, Inc. from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PennVEST). The award is part of a $236 million investment in water infrastructure projects across the Commonwealth.
The loan to Aqua PA will help replace 450 lead and galvanized lines in the utility’s West Chester service with new lines made of safer, modern materials. The improvements will help prevent corrosion and eliminate potential sources of contamination.
Even though lead is a naturally occurring metal, it can cause a variety of adverse health effects. While the most common sources of lead exposure are soil, paint chips, and dust, drinking water is another route of lead exposure, primarily as a result of corrosion of lead pipes and plumbing materials. The Pennsylvania General Assembly determined it is in the public interest for water utilities to assist customers in the replacement of customer-owned lead service lines throughout Pennsylvania.
Under the Customer Lead Service Line Replacement Program, Aqua will identify customer-owned service lines that are lead, enter into an agreement with the customer to replace the customer-owned portion of the service line and restore the customer’s property at no direct cost to the customer, dedicate the newly installed customer portion of the service line back to the customer, and provide a warranty on the work completed to replace the customer-owned lead service line.
If you have public water, you may see employees with Environmental Resources Management (ERM) in your neighborhood. Aqua hired ERM to discover the material of unknown service lines by making contact with homeowners through mail and direct visits. ERM employees should have yellow vests and an Aqua ID.
Learn more about this effort: