GREENWOOD – Indiana American Water announced Friday it has invested nearly $97 million to replace or remove almost 30,000 lead service lines in its service areas across the state.
Indiana American Water was the first water utility in the state to file a plan for lead service line replacement following passage of House Enrolled Act 1519 in 2017. HEA 1519 contained a process for water utilities to obtain authority to replace customer-owned lead service lines, even though the lines are not owned by the utility, according to a news release from Indiana American Water.
“We are proactively addressing the long-standing issue of lead service lines throughout the state in a way that expedites replacement and helps customers who are most impacted and often can least afford it,” said Indiana American Water President Matt Prine. “Since our plan was approved in 2018, we have made significant progress in implementing it statewide with more than 54% of the lead service lines in the communities we serve already replaced or removed from service.
“In an effort to make the program even more affordable and to speed up our lead service line removal efforts, Indiana American Water also recently applied and received approval for nearly $19 million in no or low-interest loans from the Indiana State Revolving Fund,” Prine continued. “We are committed to doing our part to get the lead out of Indiana, once and for all.”
Indiana American Water estimates there were as many as 55,000 lead service lines in use just a few years ago in its service areas across the state, with about two-thirds of those located in northwest Indiana.
It is important to note that if a customer’s service lines contain lead, it does not mean they cannot use water as they normally do. Indiana American Water samples for lead in drinking water on a routine basis and provides corrosion control treatment where needed to mitigatepotential threats and the water delivered to customers meets state and federal water quality regulations, including those set for lead.
Indiana American Water recently launched a lead education campaign with several resources for customers, including a step-by-step tutorial showing how to identify pipe material, answers to frequently asked questions, information on steps they take to reduce the potential for lead to leach from customer plumbing, and a video on how Indiana American Water is working to remove lead service lines across the state.
For more information about the steps Indiana American Water takes to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water, as well as ways to assess and reduce exposure to lead at home, visit the lead resources page. To learn more about regulations and programs developed under the Safe Drinking Water Act or if you have questions about lead in drinking water, visit the U.S. EPA's lead page or contact their Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.
For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.