BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — There's light at the end of the tunnel for those living in Benton Harbor as lead service line replacement moves full steam ahead.
That news was shared in an update on Tuesday by local, state and federal officials who say the project is about halfway done.
Contractors working on the project said they have been replacing the lines at a rate of three to four homes everyday.
READ: 'Pipe One is Done': Benton Harbor begins the process of replacing thousands of lead water lines
Benton Harbor residents told Fox 17 they couldn't be more excited for clean water.
"Everyday, you’ve got to get your toothbrush, put your toothbrush in [the bottle] to brush your teeth. No, I am excited to just turn the sink on, turn the faucet on to have clean water," said Edward Shaw, a Benton Harbor resident.
Shaw said he uses around two to three cases of bottled water a week for daily tasks. Now that contractors have started replacing the lead service lines, those will soon be memories down the drain.
"I’m looking forward to drinking clean water. I am tired of bottled water," said Shaw.
#HAPPENING: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be an update to @RepFredUpton on the status of the government response to the Benton Harbor drinking water crisis.
— Lauren Kummer (@LaurenKummerTV) May 24, 2022
Contractors replacing lead service lines will also give a presentation explaining the process. @FOX17 pic.twitter.com/3ulbmenqdx
On Tuesday, Congressman Fred Upton joined representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy as well as the city of Benton Harbor and their contractors for an update.
Contractors reported around 1,250 lead lines have been replaced in homes so far.
"Certainly, you get the easier ones done first so there is still a lot of work in front of us. I’m thrilled with the progress that is happening," said Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy Director Liesl Eichler Clark.
"A lot of these homes now, you can tell the work has been done. It has been completed," said United States Representative Fred Upton, who is serving Michigan's 6th District.
The replacement project has been made possible through both federal and state funding.
"This is what happens when people work together. This is a project that we couldn’t have done alone by ourselves. We would sitting here talking about having a water crisis. You have a crisis when you don’t have the money or the help from the agencies. We have the help," said Benton Harbor City Manager Ellis Mitchell.
Five contracting companies are working on the project which has been divided into 12 total sections. Those companies are from the local area.
"It was a critical component when getting those dollars out the door because it is a lot of dollars of investment. We wanted to make sure to the extent of the dollars staying in the community that they do," said Clark.
An estimated end date was given back in September 2021 which stated it would take around 18 months to complete all of the replacements.
State agencies said that time frame is still accurate and work should be finished in Spring 2023.
