BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — The City of Benton Harbor announced Wednesday that more than 50% of its lead lines have been replaced or verified as lead-free with new copper lines.
Crews replaced 551 lead service lines with copper over the last 30 days.
Now, they’re averaging 18 lead service line replacements per day with 15 crews working throughout the city under six contractors.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the Building Michigan Together Plan in late April which directs $45 million to the city of Benton Harbor for infrastructure improvements, including the replacement of all the city’s lead water service lines.
This funding ensures the city will have enough resources to fully replace all service lines by the spring of 2023.
Out of the 2,900 water customers in Benton Harbor, about 2,300 have completed the “Right of Access” Water Service Line Replacement Agreement forms, which allows contractors to access private property to complete their work.
To fill out one of these forms, click here.
As of May 25, crews have replaced more than 2,200 water service lines, or verified them as non-lead, leaving about 2,200 to complete.
You can check the project’s progress daily on the Benton Harbor project dashboard.
