Lead Water Line Replacements In Benton Harbor Nearly 70% complete

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66% of the water service lines in the city of Benton Harbor have now been replaced or verified lead free. The state and city are working on a project to rid the city of lead water lines by next spring with six contractors currently digging up lines. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy says more than more than 2,900 water lines have been replaced or verified lead free so far. Meanwhile, Mayor Marcus Muhammad told city commissioners this week the state is offering residents help with other lead issues in their homes.

“You can go online, have the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services have someone come out to your home to test the inside for any form of contamination, whether that be lead based paint, whether that be lead chips falling from a roof that needs repair,” Muhammad said.

Muhammad said the city will not rest until it is 100% lead free. The state says crews have replaced more than 500 lead service lines with copper over the past 30 days and average 17 lead service line replacements per day. Meanwhile, more than 13 million bottles of water have been given out to residents since the lead replacement project began.