Cost of Removing Private Lead Service Lines in Wisconsin Could Reach Nearly $1 Billion

Tuesday, December 19th, 2023 -- 10:01 AM

(Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio) State environmental regulators said the cost of removing private lead service lines alone could run up to nearly $1 billion, and an infusion of federal funds is not enough to meet the need.

According to Danielle Kaeding with Wisconsin Public Radio, staff with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said the state has more than 147,000 private lead lines, which typically run from the street to homes.

The agency estimates 229,000 private laterals either contain lead or are made of galvanized material. Galvanized lines are iron pipes that have been coated to prevent corrosion, and they’ve been known to contain or collect lead.

Jim Ritchie, the agency’s director of the Community Financial Assistance Bureau, told the Natural Resources Board on Wednesday it may cost between $620 million to $966 million to replace those pipes.

That’s far more than the close to $400 million that Wisconsin is set to receive over a five-year span under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress in 2021. With federal funding, the DNR estimates up to 95,000 private lead lines could be removed.

"There will still be a significant need," Ritchie told the board. That doesn’t include the cost to replace around 158,000 utility-owned lines in Wisconsin. Ritchie told WPR the agency will start collecting information on the total cost for replacing public and private lead lines next year.

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