Akron City Council fast-tracks plan to swap out remaining lead waterline connections

Akron is moving into the final stages of eliminating its remaining lead water service lines.

Akron City Council voted 12-0 Monday to forgo the timetable for adopting new legislation and immediately authorize the city to begin installing copper tubing to replace roughly 1,500 of the 2,000 lead service lines still connected to occupied homes. Ward 8 Councilman James Hardy did not attend the meeting.

Public Service Director Chris Ludle told the Beacon Journal via email that the $12 million project will be funded by a state loan at 53% principal forgiveness. The remaining 47% will be paid at 0% interest over a 40-year loan period, making the total cost to the city $5.64 million.

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"Construction will begin in August 2024 and completion will be in late fall of 2025," Ludle wrote. "After this project is completed near the end of 2025, there should be no occupied homes being served by a lead service line in Akron."

He explained that there will be three contractors performing the work, with each contract covering 500 line removals. Ludle said the engineer's estimate for each contract is approximately $3.5 million, and that the city plans to begin advertising for the contracts on May 21.

The remaining lead lines serving vacant parcels will be disconnected or replaced, he said.

Appearing before City Council's Public Service Committee, Ludle said that if someone purchases one of those unoccupied parcels, the lead service line will be removed prior to any connection.

According to the city website's lead abatement information page, Akron aims to be lead-free by 2027.

"The approximate 1” diameter water service from the water main in the street to your property line has been made of copper since about 1950," the website says. "Most of the water services constructed prior to 1950 were originally made of lead but were replaced later with copper."

Medical researchers have long linked lead poisoning to higher infant mortality rates, associating it with increased arrested brain development in youths, miscarriages, stillbirths and premature births. Treatment can prevent the vomiting and weight loss that signal more permanent hearing loss, seizures, violent behavior and learning disabilities.

In 2017, Akron released an interactive map of 4,341 water service lines (out of 85,211) that contain lead.

The Beacon Journal reported in 2022 that only 3,000 of the city’s service accounts were still served by a lead line.

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron City Council votes to swap out most remaining lead waterlines