Akron on track to beat new EPA deadline for lead waterline removal

A new Environmental Protection Agency rule requires the country's drinking water systems to be lead-free by 2034, but Akron officials say the city is on track to beat that deadline by about seven years.

A White House fact sheet released last week summarized the rule's finalization and highlighted Akron and a handful of other cities including Detroit, Pittsburgh, Denver and St. Paul, Minnesota, as leading the way in removal of lead waterlines.

"Akron, Ohio, is now on track to replace all lead service lines by 2027 thanks to $9 million in funding through the American Rescue Plan,” the fact sheet noted.

Akron Mayor Shammas Malik noted in a news release that the city already has invested decades of work removing lead lines.

“I’m incredibly proud to say that Akron is very close to being lead service free,” Malik said. “This is something that most cities our size and age are nowhere close to accomplishing. Due to Akron’s proactive approach of removing lead lines long before it was considered best practice to do so, we are nearly finished with this important work.”

The release said Akron — under the guidance of David Crandell, the former Public Utilities Bureau manager — began removing lead pipes in the 1960s, long before there were regulations requiring lead pipes to be removed.

“Akron has arguably been the most progressive city in the United States for removing lead services,” said Public Service Director Chris Ludle.

Medical researchers have long linked lead poisoning to higher infant mortality rates, associating it with increased arrested brain development in youths, miscarriages, stillbirths and premature births. Treatment can prevent the vomiting and weight loss that signal more permanent hearing loss, seizures, violent behavior and learning disabilities.

According to the city website's lead abatement information page, Akron aims to be lead-free by 2027. The site said that, as of Sept. 30, there are only 1,800 lead service lines that need to be removed and replaced.

Water Bureau Manager Jeff Bronowski answered some questions about the project via email.

Bronowski explained that the city is on track to remove all lead lines supplying water to active customers by the end of 2025.

He said the final three contracts "have been awarded and will initiate within the next month," adding that each contract "has a required completion time of 365 days."

"The 2027 goal is related to the replacement of private galvanized waterlines," he explained. "If an active Akron water customer currently has a galvanized portion of waterline that was once connected to a lead line, EPA rules now expect water utilities to also replace the galvanized lines on private property."

Akron expects to replace the remaining 8,000 to 10,000 galvanized lines over the next three years utilizing additional construction contracts.

Bronowski said the contracts to remove these lines came in at $6.9 million, compared to the original estimate of $9.6 million.

He said 53% of the $6.9 million "will be principally forgiven" as part of an EPA state revolving loan fund principal forgiveness program encouraging water utilities to perform lead removal projects. The galvanized pipe removal projects are eligible for the same forgiveness, he said.

In 2017, Akron released an interactive map of water service lines that contain lead. You can enter your address into a search bar on the site, and the map will indicate whether the property is being served by a lead line.

The map can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/AkronLeadMap

Additional guidance on how to identify lead lines in your home can be found on the city website's lead abatement information page.

(This story has been updated to correct a math error regarding the cost savings from the original estimate for the project.)

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at [email protected] or 330-541-9413