Green Bay water utility making progress in replacing lead service lines, last should be removed by 2021

GREEN BAY — The Green Bay Water Utility’s quest to eliminate lead service pipes took a giant stride forward in 2017.

The utility’s “Get the Lead Out” program has cut about a third of the utility-owned lead service lines in the city, leaving it with about 959 lines, according to the utility. The utility hopes to have them all replaced by the end of 2020.

Meanwhile, the utility is working with homeowners to replace privately-owned lead service pipes. The utility manages a grant funding program that includes federal money as well as excess money that had been gathered through the county’s stadium tax over the years.

The utility identified 202 private properties with lead service; the pipes have been replaced at 134 of those properties. Of the remaining 68, about a third have signed agreements with contractors for replacement.

The water utility has been whittling away at replacing lead pipes since 1990. It had 4,400 in 1990 and cut that down to just under 2,000 by the end of 2015. That’s when the Flint, Mich., water crisis hit the news in a big way, underscoring the risk of lead poisoning and causing the Green Bay utility to step up its game.

Lead exposure, even at low levels, can cause brain and organ damage, as well as developmental delays, in children, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

The last lead pipes were installed in Green Bay in 1944.

The city’s web site shows how you can test your pipe by scratching its exterior and applying a magnet, which will not be attracted to a lead pipe. If you suspect your pipe is lead, contact the utility.

Meanwhile, the water utility advises customers who may have lead pipes to run the tap for a few seconds before consuming water from it first thing in the morning.