Erie Water Works celebrated a historic milestone in its campaign to get the lead out; Erie Water Works has obtained over $100 million in funding.
Most recently, they have received $10 million dollars in grant money, their 11th award from PENNVEST.
Erie, Crawford receive over $13 million for water infrastructure projects
CEO Craig Palmer said when the campaign began in 2021, Erie had 7,500 lead gooseneck connections and now, they have less than 100 left to replace.
He said with this grant, they will also begin replacing old galvanized pipes from private properties, which will take at least three years.
“We have at least three more years’ worth of work to get rid of the galvanized lines that require replacement, and this is really about reducing and totally removing the risk of lead,” Palmer said. “We saw what happened in Flint, Michigan, and that’s not an option for Erie. And so we made sure to get out in front of it, lean forward into it, and get the lead out.”
Their next round of replacements will begin in 2027.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com.