How to replace lead water service lines for free
ARVADA, Colo. (KDVR) — Arvada is launching its lead water service line replacement program and will pay to replace lead or galvanized pipes at no cost to the homeowner.
City leaders said Arvada does not have city-owned lines with lead, but customers with homes built before 1960 might.
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Daniel Hansford said the original part of his home was built in 1924. He said Arvada Water has already checked his water lines to see if they are lead or galvanized, and he got good news.
“They checked it, and it’s all copper,” he said.
Evelyn Rhodes, Arvada’s water quality manager, wants other residents to know their options.
“The city owns the portion from the street to the meter pit, and then our customer owns the portion from the meter pit to their house foundation, and that’s the portion we are looking for,” Rhodes said.
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She said homeowners can go to their crawl space or basement and check for themselves. There are pictures of lead or galvanized lines on the city of Arvada’s website.
“If they need help, we can go help them do a manual inspection, or we also have a contractor who is performing potholing where they dig out a hole over the service line, and we can determine it that way too,” she said.
If the line needs replacing, the city will cover the cost if handled by 2026.
“We really want to make sure that there is not a cost burden to ensure they have safe drinking water to their tap,” she said.
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Water utilities across Colorado and the U.S. are in the process of replacing lead drinking water lines, as required by the Environmental Protection Agency.
For example, Denver Water has already replaced 25,000 lead service lines with no direct cost to the customer.
Aurora Water said it has inspected about 2,000 lines. Around 20% are galvanized steel and 2% are lead. Both will be replaced at no cost.
Each utility has its own program and way of working with customers. If you have questions about your home, contact your provider.
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