Jacksonville will begin replacing about 245 lead service lines throughout the northwest part of town starting in about June, according to officials.
Lead is considered a toxic substance, and there is no safe amount to consume. Children exposed to lead are particularly susceptible to brain damage, developmental damage and lead poisoning, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Ben Spreen, a professional engineer with Benton Engineering, said people would likely be getting notices about the project in the next couple of weeks. Phase 1 of the 10-phase project will see the lead service lines replace the pipes in the northeast part of town.
In January, the city officially started the bidding process for a company to take on the project. MB Construction was chosen as the contractor with a bid of about $1.54 million. Bids are not the guaranteed final cost of a project.
That cost is less than the $3.9 million in funding that the city was ready to use in grants and loans for the project.
“No matter what, it’s less money than what we’d originally anticipated,” said Senior Engineering Technician Adam Fox on March 23 to Jacksonville City Council. “And some of that is to do with the efforts that you (the city) put forward with your potholing … which will reduce some of the the service lines that need to be replaced in these areas.”
Spreen said people who live in the area north of Dunlap Street and east of North Main Street, which is the general area Phase 1 takes place, can expect to get notices in the mail letting them know what will happen next.
“The city was actually going to start sending notices out to residents here in the next few weeks in regards to this project specifically,” Spreen said.
Notices will contain information about MB Construction, Benton Engineering and when an employee might come to their home.
“People can expect a contractor to be coming to their residents or or businesses in that area and requesting access,” Spreen said.
Contractors will replace part of a service line into homes when they visit. Property owners will not have to pay anything for the process.
While Phase 1 encompasses about 245 lead service lines that need to be replaced, Jacksonville’s water treatment plant estimated there are about 3,759 lead service lines total in town.
In January, Benton Engineering officials said Phase 1 would take about a year to complete. Phase 2 of the project will start in fall.
Officials said Jacksonville has been proactive with service line identification through its potholing program. Federal requirements state work to begin a town’s lead pipeline replacement have to start by 2027. After that, it can take 10 years to complete the project.
Potholing for Phase 2 will inspect about 545 locations.