Denver Water leads the way
The dividing point is between the main and the service line. It is where the water leaves the public system and enters privately-owned facilities to serve individual premises. The service line is owned by and installed at the expense of the property owner. Recognizing the hazards posed by lead in service lines, Denver Water agreed to replace any customer-owned lead service line that it discovers with a copper water line at no direct charge to the customer when discovered during pipe replacement projects. Furthermore, customers who have lead service lines that are not encountered during pipe replacement work will be enrolled in the Lead Reduction Program. As part of the program, Denver Water will replace customer-owned lead service lines with copper service lines at no direct charge to the customer.
Denver Water takes pride in being a national leader in the management of clean water systems, and its lead service line replacement program is no exception. It has launched a public information campaign with high-quality educational videos to inform its customers about the program. It has also mapped out all the properties identified as likely to have lead service lines. Denver residents can enter their address, and the map will tell them if their home is one of the estimated 64,000 to 84,000 homes with a possible lead service line.
Certain measures have also been taken to protect the health of those residents who are waiting for lead service line replacement. Residents have been provided with water filters and advised to filter any water used for drinking, cooking or food preparation. Another measure taken has been to increase the pH of the water in the mains, which helps to form a protective coating over any lead pipes in the system. Denver Water also established a laboratory to study the relation between pH levels and the amount of lead released from lead service lines. In this manner, lead levels can be kept at a minimum while homeowners await the installation of copper water lines. In addition, if property owners choose to replace their lead service line at their own expense, they may be eligible for a partial reimbursement of their total cost. A homeowner may be eligible to receive up to $3,800 toward the cost of lead service line replacement should they decide to do it at their own expense.