Lead water service lines soon will be replaced in New Kensington and Arnold in a project that will affect 100 residential customers in the two cities.
“This will replace all lead service lines. We will not have any lead lines in the New Kensington water system,” said James Matta, manager of the Municipal Authority of the City of New Kensington.
Private sections of lead service lines also will be replaced. Those lines are spread throughout the city, Matta said.
He anticipates project bidding to start in June and construction in July. Under that timeline, Matta anticipates the replacements to be complete in November.
The project will replace lead service lines that affect 73 customers in New Kensington and 27 in Arnold.
The Municipal Authority of the City of New Kensington will receive a $1.4 million state grant and a $74,000 loan from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, also known as PennVEST, to complete the replacements.
The 20-year loan has an interest rate of 1%, according to a statement from state Sen. Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, and state Rep. Jill Cooper, R-Murrysville.
“Replacing service lines that have the potential to leak lead into our drinking water is a top priority, but it’s also very expensive,” Pittman said. “I am pleased this state funding will go such a long way toward keeping people safe while shielding them from substantial cost increases.”
Without the state funding, more than 14,000 authority customers would have seen a projected 341% increase in their fees, the announcement said.
Officials said the project also will improve the reliability of water for nearly 49,000 people and retain compliance with the federal government’s Lead and Copper Rule.
“This investment is a win for public health, affordability and the future of our infrastructure,” Cooper said. “No family should have to choose between clean water and their household budget. Projects such as this ensure our communities can move forward without leaving anyone behind.”